| Place | Oceania: Australia |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ARTV00075 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | sheet: 68.8 x 49.4 cm |
| Object type | Poster |
| Physical description | chromolithograph on paper |
| Maker |
V. A. P. Service Unknown |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | c. 1914-1915 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
"God Bless Daddy" 45,000 Australian fathers are fighting. Will you help?
Description
Australian First World War recruitment poster depicting a mother and child kissing. The father's portrait is in the background. Text explains 45,000 Australian fathers are enlisted and urges the viewer to help as well. 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.