 O'Dwyer worked closely with the military authorities and sought the aid of local rural Punjabi leaders to organise a centralised system for the recruitment of soldiers for the First World War effort, in exchange for compensation, including major land grants and formal titles.As a result, most of the recruits were drawn from rural areas of the Punjab, ultimately leaving a number of families without their breadwinners.Those that returned from the war aspired to a reward and a better life.