In anticipation of a huge attack, the British government introduced a new form of recruitment as the response from volunteers was becoming smaller and smaller. What name was given to this new system, long employed on the continent?

In 1916 the war of attrition continued on the Western Front with several battles taking place. The Germans tried to dislodge the French from the fortress complex of Verdun, while the British tried to assist the embattled French by launching a massive frontal attack further west along the River Somme.