When the Great War broke out, the United Kingdom sent the BEF - British Expeditionary Force - to fight alongside the French. It was immediately apparent that this force was too small to face the massed ranks of the continental armies. Armies are representative of their societies, and the New Army incarnated the quintessence of Great Britain at this period : between 1914 and 1916, the greatest volunteer army ever seen in European history was formed in order to defend values and a way of life. The men of the Empire also rallied massively in order to take part in the conflict. The scale of the worldwide, industrialized war brought about deep structural and doctrinal changes within the Army. This great effort is still present in the national memory to this day.