In a pathetic bid to boost numbers, British soldiers are being offered shopping vouchers for getting their mates to join the Army. Soldiers are being offered £100 in retail vouchers for referring a friend to enlist as a regular or reserve soldier. Described by a serving soldier as ‘pathetic’, the recruitment ‘initiative’ comes after new figures revealed that the Army’s manpower has plunged to its lowest level for 200 years. The Mail Online reports: It has fallen below the symbolic threshold of 80,000 full-time soldiers, despite millions of pounds being spent on flashy television and cinema recruitment campaigns. Now squaddies are being offered £100 of retail vouchers when a friend enlists as a regular or reserve soldier. They can pocket a maximum of £500 of vouchers. Posters advertising the scheme have been put up in barracks across the UK. They feature members of the public and say: ‘These aren’t just any mates. These are quick-thinking, morale-boosting legends. ‘That’s why they fit in the Army. Maybe you know someone who would too? Get them to join us and you pocket £100 in retail vouchers.’ A serving soldier told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The posters are making us laugh. I think we’re [...]
