Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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monthly magazine De Wapens Neder (Down Weapons) grew from 70,000 copies in 1913 to
290,000 by the time of the Annistice. 67 As we shall see, conscientious objection rose from
1915 onwards, partially in response to the publicity generated by anti-military groups; while
mobilisation clubs with radical agendas seemed to be sprouting up like noxious fungi
throughout the armed forces.
LIKE THE PEOPLE, So THE ARMy68
By 1918 soldiers were wholehemiedly tired of the war. In fact, low morale and
general sluggishness among troops had set in quite quickly after the initial excitement of
mobilisation subsided in 1914. By April 1915, commanders had real problems convincing
their men of the necessity for continued mobilisation. While troops understood that
neutrality required some form of military preparation, they, like many civilians, did not feel
it required a full-scale mobilisation. Requests for more leave and better living conditions
became the rallying cries of disgruntled men. The Easter leave debacle in 1916 69 highlights
how fragile morale actually was, and defined clear limits of soldier co-operation with
military authorities.
Hence, one of the most pressing issues for High Command was improving
conditions for soldiers to such a degree that their universal dislike of military service was
not intensified beyond manageable levels and did not interfere with their willingness to
follow orders. Better leave provisions in 1915 and 1916 did a great deal to alleviate many of
the complaints. A number of charitable and military organisations tried improving the
quality of soldiers' free time. They arranged entertainment for the troops, set up places for
relaxation outside barracks and camps, co-ordinated lesson plans for fulihering education,
and provided opportunities for interested soldiers to learn new skills and pmiicipate in
handicraft activities. 70 High Command used incentives such as sports days and craft shows
67 Ibid. pp. 111, 113.
68 "Tel peuple, telle armee" (Freycinet about the French Army in the Franco-Prussian war 1870 - 1871, as quoted in
W. E. van Dam van Isselt, "De geest in het leger en de burgerwachten" [The morale in the Army and the civilian
guards] Militaire Spectator. 88, 1919, p. 158 fn 2).
69 For which, see: Chapter 10, pp. 353 - 358.
70 For which, see: correspondence in ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Star' entry no. 2.13.70, inventory no. 309; P.
Kleinhens, "Overzicht nopens de verrichtingen van de Afdeeling van het Algemeen Hoofdkwartier van den
Opperbevelhebber van Land- en Zeemacht 'Ontwikkeling en Ontspanning van de Gemobiliseerde Troepen'"
[Overview of the functions ofthe department of the General Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief ofthe Army
and Navy 'Education and Relaxation of the Mobilised Troops'] in Hamel et. al. (eds.), Onze Weermacht - van 1914