ABSTRACT

The recreational facilities offered within the Force loomed larger than patriotism as an inducement to the prospective Volunteer. From the point of view of the individual, it will be suggested, volunteering was primarily a recreation. While patriotism was an essential ingredient at the time of the Force's inception, it became less so in time, and that the reasons for this were in part a change in the political implications of patriotism, and in part the existence of other reasons for joining the Force. Whatever the social and political benefits might be, it was in the last resort the Force's contribution to national defence, a contribution which seemed to stem from patriotism, which entitled the Volunteers to public esteem and government support. As rival recreational facilities increased for all classes, the Volunteers found themselves offering a kind of package deal, providing an institution within which a man could pursue any number of leisure activities.