l Answer the call: First World War posters

Museums and Exhibitions

Answer the Call: First World War Posters

Mairéad Quinn

Venue: ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5AB Admission: Free Opened: 23 May 2014 Website: http://www.nmni.com

On the 23 May 2014 National Museums Northern Ireland launched their ‘Answer the Call: First World War Posters’ exhibition in the ulster Museum, Belfast. This exhibition is part of the Decade of Centenaries programme of events and was developed to mark the 100th anniversary of World War One.

The exhibition, curated by Dr Vivienne Pollock, takes a look at the changing conditions of Britain and Ireland’s involvement in the war, and more particularly the changing approaches to voluntary recruitment, through a series of propaganda posters aimed at Irish citizens over the period of 1914-1918.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into the changing attitudes towards enlistment by Irish citizens. This can be traced through the evolving messages portrayed in the poster campaigns, beginning with the characterisation of voluntary enlistment as encompassing the virtues of patriotism and adventure; the natural step for a man to take.

The exhibition also explores the various uses of cultural signifiers to encourage men to enlist. These include posters identifying war with sporting games, and the call for the ‘real Irish spirit’ to come forth and join the ranks, a direct reference to Ireland’s reputation as a drinking culture.

As voluntary recruitment took a downturn we can see a change in the campaigns’ approach. Messages changed from those focused on the virtues of enlistment to those forewarning of the consequences of failing to enlist. The use of children as emotional triggers can be seen in various posters, most particularly those asking fathers what their answer will be when their children ask ‘what did you do to help when Britain fought for freedom?’ Children and women are also used as emotional leverage through poster campaigns that

accentuated the dangers of war to children and female relations. These campaigns played on the role of men as protectors of the family and a failure to do one’s duty in joining the war effort was synonymous with an unwillingness to do one’s duty to protect their family. The use of women as a tool for male enlistment can again be seen through a series of posters sending out the message ‘Women of Britain say...Go’.

This imagery shows the strong female character who is concerned with the safety of her children and knows best the duty of her husband to fight for their protection. These posters purposefully exploited women’s fear for their families and exaggerates their influence on their husband’s decision to enlist. Of particular note was the failure of such campaigns that used bullying tones to promote recruitment.

The financial hardships of war are also explored through emotionally-focused poster campaigns that encourage those not fighting to invest in war bonds, and the need to ration food supplies for the men fighting on the front line, thus giving every citizen an opportunity to play their part. This exhibition proves a thorough and engaging way to explore World War 1 from a unique perspective and is accessible to audiences of different knowledge levels. In all, a great addition to the museum’s programme.

Mairead Quinn is a Ph.D. student of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies at the University of Ulster