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World War One had a dramatic and long lasting impact on the nation's drinking habits.

During WW1 it became illegal to buy a round of drinks. This bizarre sounding law came into force under the Defence of the Realm which was passed in August 1914 and affected virtually every aspect of British life; including drinking.

At the outbreak of war, drunkenness was a big concern. There was a strong Temperance Movement. In Nottinghamshire, Rushcliffe MP Leif Jones was President of the United Kingdom Alliance, the leading British prohibition group. He also opposed the rum ration for soldiers fighting at the front. Lloyd George, the Chancellor at the time said: "We are fighting Germany Austria and drink, and as far as I can see the greatest of these foes is drink."

By 1915, claims were made that drunkenness was affecting war production and the government passed stricter licensing laws. Opening hours were reduced, beer was made weaker (around 3% rather than 5% or more before the war) – this became known as 'Government Ale' or 'Lloyd George's Beer'. The price of beer also doubled during the war and production halved. By September 1916 it became illegal to buy a round of drinks.

The police would enforce this unusual rule by patrolling pubs in plain clothes. In the White Lion in Bulwell, the landlady and two customers were fined for buying drinks and accepting them.

Did these measures make any difference to drunkenness? It appears to have: the levels of convictions for drunk and disorderly never returned to pre-war levels. There were 63,000 convictions in 1913 and fewer than 2,000 in 1918.

These rules were relaxed after the war but opening hours continued to be restricted. British beer is still weaker than continental beer which is a legacy of WW1.

Location: Lion Revised (formerly The White Lion), Bulwell, Nottingham NG6 8FL
Image: The White Lion during the war as it was known, courtesy of The White Lion, compared to how it stands today as the Lion Revised.

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