God bless dear Daddy

The full title reads 'God bless dear Daddy who is fighting the Hun and send him Help'. The third of the series of six posters by Lindsay constituting the last nation-wide Australian recruiting campaign, 1918. Depicts a young girl kneeling in prayer near her mother asking for help for her father fighting against the Germans. Norman Lindsay (1879-1970) was a painter, draughtsman, illustrator, cartoonist, printmaker, writer and sculptor. He joined the Sydney 'Bulletin' magazine as a staff artist, 1901-09, 1910-23 and 1932-58. During the First World War he produced jingoistic cartoons and pro-conscription posters.
Recruitment posters were in abundant supply in Australia throughout the First World War. Australia relied solely on voluntary recruits to serve in the AIF. Compulsory military service, or conscription, for eligible men was in force in Australia from 1911, however, these forces were for home defence and could not be used to serve in a war overseas. Following the initial rush of men to recruit in 1914, enrolments dropped, leaving federal and state governments to devise sophisticated campaigns to boost numbers.