Civil Mobilisation

I came across this rather astounding declaration this week. It was made in response to the 1936 Italian invasion under Mussolini, who then occupied the country until 1941 (at which time the same Emperor was re-throned until the 1974 Junta established a Socialst State). Despite it being more of the 'pulp' era rather than the Victorian one, I knew you'd all appreciate it:

Mobilisation Order

by order of HRH Emperor Haile Selassie,

Abyssinia (Ethiopia), 1935

• Everyone will now be mobilised
• All boys old enough to carry a spear will be sent to Addis Ababa
• Married men will take their wives to carry food and drink
• Single men will take any woman without a husband
• Women with small babies need not go
• The blind and those who cannot walk or carry a spear are excused
• Anyone found at home after receipt of this order will be hanged.

According to Wikipedia, this gained about 500,000 primitively armed conscripts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Italo-Abyssinian_War