'Police as Ploughmen': temporary release to help farmers in the food crisis of First World War Britain

Fraser, M. (2021) 'Police as Ploughmen': temporary release to help farmers in the food crisis of First World War Britain. Cultural and Social History, 18(5), pp. 651-667. (doi: 10.1080/14780038.2021.1958443)

Abstract

Police skills and manpower require occasional reassessment within dominant discourses. World War One saw a huge urgent shifts surrounding patriotism. From the late 1916, government prioritised agriculture to avoid impending starvation and food riots. Government helped farmers to increase and change production by substitution, initially from two groups, the army and civilians. Farmers rejected many early army substitutes as incompetent, while many policemen possessed latent agricultural skills. Despite intense pressure and many new duties, policemen loaned to farmers were widely welcomed and encouraged. Lending manpower to farmers provided a solution to the challenges of men of military age remaining in the police.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fraser, Dr Mary
• Authors: Fraser, M.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Journal Name: Cultural and Social History
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1478-0038
• ISSN (Online): 1478-0046
• Published Online: 05 August 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Author
• First Published: First published in Cultural and Social History 18(5): 651-667
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License