Motivation and Mobilization for War: Recruitment for the British Army in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1941-1942

This article traces the process of recruiting Tswana men into the British army in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (Botswana) during the Second World War. Over 10,000 soldiers were recruited during recruiting drives in 1941 and 1942. Using both oral and archival material, the article outlines the motives and political aims that led the chiefs to offer wholehearted support for the war effort and examines the attitude of the British administration to African participation in the war. The outlook of the men who were required to join the army is also analysed, as are the methods used to induce them to enlist. The article shows that the mythology surrounding the Imperial monarchy, the prestige and authority of the chiefs, together with a host of individual motives, meant that many men went to war without direct compulsion being necessary. However, many others decided to run, hide or take no notice, unimpressed by the King’s call or the chief’s command. Notes, ref., sum.