ABSTRACT
Britain went to the polls in December 1918 for the first time in eight years; it would do so again in 1922 and 1923. Lloyd George’s coalition and subsequently the Conservatives hoped victory would be achieved, in part, through an appeal to ex-servicemen. The Labour Party, however, chose not to appeal directly to ex-servicemen. This chapter examines that decision. It demonstrates that at the heart of Labour’s relationship with ex-servicemen was the party’s need to establish its political legitimacy, to differentiate itself from the dominant Conservatives, and to appease its own broad membership, notably the trade unions. It also mirrored wider societal fears about the brutalisation of British soldiers and their rejection of traditional politics in favour of a more revolutionary form, with Labour presenting themselves as a reformist and parliamentary party rather than a dangerous, revolutionary, one. Finally, and most importantly, Labour’s approach to ex-servicemen reflected a particular conception of ex-servicemen as workers. They did not look to them veterans as a separate interest group because they did not perceive of them as one. It was as the defender of workers’ interests that Labour chose to fight the post-war elections.
