Why did my ancestor lie? (Quick tip 8)

When the First World War started in August 1914 a vigorous propaganda campaign persuaded tens of thousands of young men excitedly to sign up and do their bit for King and Country. To fight abroad you had to be at least nineteen, but you could enlist at eighteen. Many boys of 15, 16 and 17, however, lied about their ages and, as it was not compulsory to provide a birth certificate to confirm your age (until conscription started in January 1916), many got away with it.

First World War Sketchbook Volume 1 – Unknown Soldier, Somme 1916
image: a British soldier walking. George Spencer Hoffman. Via Wikimedia Commons