In chapter five of David Silbey's book, "The British Working Class and Enthusiasm for War, 1914-1916," he explores the theme of escapism for Britain's working class. The opportunity for breaking the monotony brought about by their daily routines was presented to them by the war. Many of the enlisters oblivious of the consequences of war joined the military neither for the sake of patriotism nor the lack of employment but merely as a means of adventure. In the chapter, he begins by creating a vivid picture of how constrained these working class men and women felt about their daily lives.
For working class families, the role of daily providence was bestowed upon men while the women were primarily seen as homemakers although there were a few working class women. Either at work or the home, the lives of both the men and women seemed to be defined by factors outside their control. The men would often be expected to be up by six in the morning to be early for work. The working hours would usually be between ten to twelve hours in a day, which in itself never gave any fulfillment given tedious nature of such jobs. With few holidays in between except for Christmas and bank holidays, there was often no time for rest for most of them were also expected to work even on weekends. Furthermore, the idea of holidays was often frowned upon as there were no paid holidays. Once at home, the men would have little or no time to relax as they would be too tired.
While many women did not often participate in gainful employment, many of them stayed at home and performed household chores, which were equally if not more exhausting than those of the men. Their days were often expected to begin earlier than those of the rest of the family as they expected to ensure everyone was ready for their routine; the husbands for work and the children for schools and in other cases work. While the lives of children would be expected to be a bit easier, it was never the case. Most of them were expected to work to supplement their parents' meager incomes forcing a majority to drop out of school. It was to the detriment of the children as they were exposed to tough adult jobs often before they even entered adolescence.
David Silbey also paints a picture of the horrible living conditions that the working class families had to endure. With few housing facilities, many of these families lived in cramped up slums. According to him, an average of 6.7 people lived in a three bedroomed house in Barrow 1911. Their attitudes towards luxury were also different from those of the non-working class. To the working class, enrolment offered them a chance to enjoy the good military food which often included unpeeled potatoes, watery soup and meat which was considered a preserve of the elites. On the contrary, the non-working class frowned upon the army's food.
Most of the working class men were also delusional about the war. They figured that it would not take long and given the perceived weakness of their enemies, they would be having more of an adventure in the foreign lands rather than actual war. It was also the repetitive schedules in their lives that fueled their motivation to enlist as a means to escape such lives.
Bibliography
Silbey, David. The British Working Class and Enthusiasm for War, 1914-1916. New York: Frank Cass. 2004.
