Do you want to be a Chelsea Die-Hard? (1914). Many recruitment posters did not use images at all, instead relying on plain text and a direct appeal. At the start of the war, Britain did not have a system of conscription and so relied on voluntary recruitment to the armed forces. Audiences at sporting events, football in particular, were seen as ripe for recruitment. The Football Association, responding to criticism about continuing professional games after the outbreak of the war, supported the establishment of a football “Pals Battalion” with posters encouraging players and supporters to join. (Courtesy of the British Library.)