Ah but Jom what would have happened to all those workers producing widgets for the Empire, houkin coal to power the factories and ships needed to carry those widgets to their markets and bring back raw materials to make even more improved widgets - all of them out of work Wolfie, what on earth could they have turned their hands to? Folk Music? They could have followed your example and wandered round the country cherry-picking unsubstantiated and unverifiable stories to suit their own bigoted views on any subject you like, so that at a later date they could bore the pants of everybody retelling the tale.

Conscription was introduced because it made sense and was simpler. The British people knew very well why they fighting, why Germany had to be defeated and they knew what they were fighting to preserve.

Germany had only been a country for just over 40 years and they most certainly were extremely "nationalistic", all aspects of the country's foreign policy were held in the hands of the Emperor and a militaristic autocracy that lusted after supreme power in Europe and the establishment of an empire overseas. Wellington at the Congress of Vienna predicted that rabid nationalism was extremely dangerous and would tear Europe apart - how right he was.

Now then Jom tell us again why if "your" witnesses" saw soldiers from their own units being summarily executed why those same witnesses chatting away into your tape recorded couldn't refer to any of the victims by name? You see my commonsense, reasoning and logic tells me that IF such a thing ever occurred and a person saw it it and every detail related to it would have been seared on their minds forever. But there again you didn't even check to see if the old boy telling you the story was ever even in the Army did you - some bloody researcher you are - totally useless. By the way Jom, what is it that you have against cooks, that compels you to regard them with such contempt that you use their job title as an insult? Not very egalitarian, liberal, or charitable of you my little "wannabe working class hero".