As many as 250,000 boys under the age of 18 served in the British Army during World War I, according to historian Fergal Keane. Despite the legal minimum age of 19 for combat, thousands of teenagers as young as 14 enlisted, driven by patriotism, a desire for adventure, or the need to escape poverty at home.
Recruitment officers, paid a bounty for each new soldier, often turned a blind eye to age. Richard Van Emden, a historian, noted that officers were unlikely to reject an enthusiastic and fit-looking lad. Many recruits lacked birth certificates, making it easy to lie about their age. The minimum height of 5ft 3in and chest size of 34in were the main physical requirements.
Cyril Jose, a 15-year-old from Cornwall, joined up amid heavy unemployment. In a letter to his sister, he excitedly described his new rifle and bayonet. He survived the war but became a lifelong opponent of militarism, later mocking Field Marshal Haig's distant command. Another young soldier, Aby Bevistein, changed his Polish-sounding surname to Harris and volunteered in 1914. He wrote home about the horrors of trench life: cold, mud, rats, and the constant threat of death.
On 29 December 1915, Aby was wounded in a German mine explosion and suffered what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. His experience was shared by many teenage soldiers who faced the brutal reality of war far from the patriotic fervour that had spurred them to enlist.
