From the inspiring to the hysterical, from the alluring encouragement of pre-war ads to have you join the army, navy or air force to the lurid depiction of what the enemy will do to you or your family if you don’t, the recruitment poster was a staple image of the times. Attracting some of the best graphic designers of the period (and mavericks like Baden-Powell) and inescapable during times of conflict, these posters helped keep our borders secure and our wives and children safe. Viewed today, however, and in the light of what we quickly learned at the time, the WW1 images can also be seen as cynical attempts to feed the guns of Flanders, and doubtless contributed to the stigma that has defined that War ever since.
