Women of Britain say "Go!"

Depicts a women, accompanied by her maid and son, watching stoically as her husband marches off to war. She knows that he is fighting for her, their son and their country and she will not stand in his way. The text takes a strong stance, instructing British women to send their husbands off to war. Coinciding with poster campaigns such as this was the white feather campaign, in which women gave feathers to men in order to shame them into enlisting. The campaign was very effective and spread to other nations in the British Commonwealth. In the wake of the socially-divisive conscription campaigns in Australia, feelings were extremely bitter and strong against males not in uniform who gave the outward appearance of being within the 19-44 age group and physically able to serve. In those times, a white feather was considered the mark of a coward and the ultimate insult. These emblems of disgust were sent in the mail, or even handed out personally in the street to those males not in uniform who the instigator considered should be serving in the AIF. Some of the recipients of these odious emblems were, in fact, medically unfit, engaged in essential war work, or even discharged returned soldiers who had already served their country well.

{11} To assist men in avoiding unwarranted indignity and scorn, or receiving a white feather, it was decided to issue every one who submitted his name to the voluntary enlistment ballot, whether or not his name was drawn, with an attractive badge to wear on his civilian clothing. This was to prove that the wearer was not shirking his responsibility to the nation in relation to service in the AIF.