Your Country Needs You Read online

  ‘Britons – Wants YOU’ poster (IWM)

  To Berenice Webb

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Dedication

  INTRODUCTION

  1 ‘YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU’

  Separating fact from fiction

  2 WEAPONS OF MASS PERSUASION

  Origins, development and design of British recruitment posters during World War I

  3 ALFRED LEETE’S LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS

  And the birth of the London Sketch Club

  4 THE INFLUENCE OF ‘YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU’

  in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa

  5 JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG

  ‘I Want YOU For U.S. Army’

  6 THE LEGACY OF LEETE AND FLAGG

  Poster icons from the world wars to the present day

  REFERENCES

  PICTURE CREDITS

  INDEX

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  About the Author

  Copyright

  INTRODUCTION

  Downing Street office (BL)

  THIS BOOK COINCIDES with the global centenary commemorations of World War I and it reveals, for the first time, the true story and full extent of the vital role played by the art and design of recruitment posters in the war – not just in the UK, but around the world in Europe, Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and the USA. The posters were particularly important during the initial stages of the conflict, when they were devised as part of a wide-ranging campaign to recruit the millions of men needed for frontline action. Today, one poster above all others is recollected by name: YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU. It is a poster that we all feel we know so well, but do we really?

  There is no doubting the enduring influence of the striking, arm-stretching and finger-pointing cartoon of Lord Kitchener first created by the British-born commercial artist Alfred Leete as the cover for London Opinion magazine on 5th September 1914. The original artwork for this cartoon was acquired by the Imperial War Museum in 1917 and has ever since been mistakenly assimilated into the minds of millions as being one and the same as an imagined recruitment poster bearing the same slogan with mass appeal. But was this poster really as popular as people now think? There is certainly evidence that the image of the cartoon – as opposed to the poster – was very popular. For example, London Opinion, which sold more than a quarter of a million copies a week in the early months of the war, issued reproductions of the cartoon on fine art paper. Postcards bearing the image are also thought to have appeared in order to aid recruitment.

  Canadian recruitment poster (NLAC)

  The popularity and success of the Kitchener cartoon lies in its combination of an easy-to-remember slogan and a simplistic and adaptable design that derived from commercial advertising pre-dating the war. However, there is no conclusive evidence to support the claims made by many historians that a poster version of Leete’s cartoon was the most popular and effective official design of the war. A list of the official posters in order of popularity has been compiled here and Leete is conspicuous by his absence. Leete’s poster was published privately and no records survive of the precise numbers printed.

  As well as examining the story of Leete’s Kitchener image, this book delves into the remarkable life and achievements of Leete himself, and explores the influence of cartoonist contemporaries such as Bruce Bairnsfather (creator of ‘Old Bill’) and John Hassall (SKEGNESS IS SO BRACING), alongside the colourful and controversial world of the brilliant American artist, cartoonist and illustrator James Montgomery Flagg. In 1917, Flagg adapted Leete’s design for his celebrated poster depicting Uncle Sam. Entitled I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY, it is arguably the most familiar image in the USA after the ‘Stars and Stripes’ national flag.

  The designs of both Leete and Flagg still resonate powerfully today and have been used for many diverse campaigns for economic, educational, financial, military and political purposes during World War II and in the following decades up to the present day. They have become design icons.

  Flagg’s Uncle Sam poster (LoC)

  ‘Your Country Needs YOU’ artwork (IWM)

  CHAPTER 1

  ‘YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU’

  SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION

  Alfred Leete (Woodspring Museum)

  ON A SMALL HILL in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare is the striking Art Deco grave of the British-born artist, cartoonist and illustrator Alfred Leete (28th August 1882 – 17th June 1933), the man who created what is now widely regarded to be one of the world’s most familiar and popular poster designs. It is generally known, although mistakenly so, by the title YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU and depicts the steely stare, outstretched arm and accusing pointing finger of Lord Kitchener, exhorting the viewer to enlist and do their bit for their country.

  Kitchener played a crucial role during World War I as Secretary of State for War; and traditionally it is believed that through the combination of Leete’s forceful and eye-catching image and Kitchener’s military prowess and popularity this poster design was instrumental in raising the armies of millions of men for frontline duty until conscription was introduced in 1916.

  Today, Leete’s KITCHENER design can be found emblazoned on aprons, bookmarks, fridge magnets, mouse mats, mugs, notebooks, oven gloves, postcards, posters, towels and T-shirts. However, an in-depth examination of the evidence relating to the creation of this poster, its printing, posting and popularity during the war reveals alternative and surprising stories.

  A privately printed poster, not an official design

  At the outset of World War I, the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee (PRC) was established in order to enlist men for the fighting services. Headquartered in London, the PRC was able to employ a variety of means to achieve this goal, including the production and distribution of posters. Leete’s design, however, was not formally part of that official organisation. It was printed privately. The poster was actually only one of more than two hundred official and private recruitment posters produced during the war, with the PRC producing the lion’s share: some 164 designs.1

  There are two main reasons why Leete’s poster could not have been officially produced. Dr Nicholas Hiley, Head of the British Cartoon Archive at the Templeman Library, University of Kent, has succinctly outlined them: ‘Not only did it first appear in September 1914 when the PRC was still committed to letterpress posters, but it also employed a personal appeal that ran counter to the official tradition of recruiting in the name of the King.’2

  Alfred Leete’s original KITCHENER artwork for the so-called YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU poster, although this was not its original purpose, now forms part of the collections of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London, kindly donated by Leete himself. It had been formally acquired by mid-October 1917, according to Richard Slocombe, the current Senior Curator of Art at the IWM. The first curator responsible for acquiring and cataloguing the visual material during the war period was Mr L.R. Bradley. Slocombe has identified a letter dated 18th October 1917 in which Bradley thanks Leete for his ‘gift of five original drawings, including the original of the famous Kitchener drawing’. Leete had suggested to Bradley that the artwork be returned if it was felt to be too damaged for the IWM collections – there is a noticeable tear upper centre of the artwork and some minor damage caused by folding. Fortunately, the IWM retained the drawing (see page 8).

  The IWM was established by the War Cabinet on 5th March 1917 and its first home was at the Crystal Palace. The museum was opened by King George V on 9th June 1920 when the first Chairman, Sir Alfred Mond, British MP, financier, industrialist and founder of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), addressed the King saying that ‘it was hoped to make the museum so complete that everyone who
took part in the war, however obscurely, would find therein an example or illustration of the sacrifice he or she made’ and that the museum ‘was not a monument of military glory, but a record of toil and sacrifice’.3 However, there is no evidence to confirm that Leete’s ‘famous Kitchener drawing’ was on display in the museum at this time.

  ‘Your Country Needs YOU’ as a magazine cover

  Imperial War Museum poster (IWM)

  The design was not originally created as a poster but rather as artwork for a war cartoon for London Opinion magazine that featured on the cover of the 5th September 1914 edition with the caption ‘Your Country Needs YOU’. This black and white magazine had been established more than a decade earlier on 26th December 1903 as ‘A popular paper full of Original Articles, Essays and Reviews, with Tales, Sketches and Illustrations’ and was published at 36, Southampton Street, Strand, London. Leete excelled as a cartoonist and commercial illustrator and had a long and rewarding relationship with this magazine. He had created many cover designs and cartoons for the magazine prior to his LORD KITCHENER design and in fact he was still contributing cartoons up until his death in 1933.

  London Opinion front cover (BL)

  An example of the news-stand poster incorporating Leete’s Kitchener cartoon and promoting the sale of the London Opinion issue of 5th September 1914 is now in the collections of the Library of Congress in the USA. As its advertorial function determined, the poster featured the name of the magazine prominently at the top of the poster and towards the bottom it was repeated in smaller type, as well as indicating the price of ‘1d’ (one penny). It combined commercial self-promotion with a patriotism that captured the mood of the war at that time.

  During the early summer of 1914, London Opinion boasted a weekly circulation of almost 300,000. The last edition in May sold 295,000 copies, although circulation and advertising slumped in the first weeks of the war. However, it picked up. In The Street of Ink, an Intimate History of Journalism, published in 1917, author Henry Simonis noted that from the beginning of the war ‘…things gradually mended, and then improved, and then boomed, until to-day circulation and advertising, revenue and turnover are all at records’.

  The weekly circulation figures printed within individual issues of London Opinion indicate that numbers were still impressive by modern standards. In the week prior to the publication of Leete’s Kitchener cartoon cover, the circulation was 251,000, and in the edition when the cartoon made its first appearance the number had increased to 257,000. In the following two issues the figures also showed an upward trend, increasing to 265,000 and then 270,000.

  Shortly after Britain declared war against Germany on 4th August 1914, the editor of London Opinion claimed it had been bombarded with requests for copies of their illustrations and cartoons. An advertorial of 12th September 1914 announced that ‘The War Cartoons Appearing in London Opinion are being reproduced by many of the leading newspapers in the kingdom. At the request of many readers the following pictures have already been printed on fine art paper, suitable for framing.’

  They included one work by the Glasgow-born artist, illustrator and cartoonist Alexander Stuart Boyd (1854–1930) and four by Welshman Bert Thomas (1883–1966), who was famous for his cartoon-poster of a grinning Cockney Tommy lighting a pipe with the caption ‘Arf a ‘Mo’, Kaiser!’ It appeared in the Weekly Dispatch of 11th November 1914 as part of the paper’s tobacco-for-troops fund, which raised an estimated £250,000. Leete provided five works, the largest number, including YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU. His other popular cartoons were listed as: ‘Yah! [sic] I will make meinself bigger or burst’ (15th August), ‘Our Jack, Britain’s Trump Card’ (15th August), ‘Got Him!’ (22nd August) and ‘He didn’t know it was loaded’ (29th August). They were offered for sale ‘post free for Sixpence each’.

  Alfred Leete cartoon (Auth.)

  The fine art paper printing of YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU was the first time this particular design was produced independently of the magazine, but it was specifically created as a small-scale souvenir for private enjoyment rather than as a poster in the strict sense of the word.

  The ‘Golden Age’ of the postcard

  ‘Arf a Mo Kaiser!’ (Priv.)

  On 12th September 1914, another London Opinion advertorial stated that ‘We are getting numerous applications from various recruiting organisations for postcards reproducing last week’s LO cover – the Kitchener head, “Your Country Needs YOU” – in colour. To aid in recruiting we will supply these at the rate of 1s. 4d a 100. Post free.’ These postcards may well have been produced, but locating examples in public or private collections remains an ongoing challenge.

  London Opinion news-stand poster (LoC)

  Bassano photograph of Kitchener (NPG)

  ‘YOU Are The Man I Want’ (Priv.)

  In ‘Round The Town’, a regular feature of London Opinion that appeared in the issue of 26th September 1914, it was announced that ‘A certain publishing firm has just issued a portrait of Lord Kitchener with finger pointing out of the picture, on which are the words ‘YOU Are The Man I Want’. I seem to have seen something like this before – in a previous existence, probably!’ This ironic statement refers to the colour postcard depicting Lord Kitchener in a red uniform, without his hat, with outstretched arm and pointing finger. It was captioned ‘YOU Are The Man I Want’. An example was on display in the former First World War Galleries of the Imperial War Museum (IWM reference: K50155). There is another example in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

  Although London Opinion would contract independent printer-publishers to produce postcards on its behalf, there would invariably be a printed credit line indicating the original source as ‘London Opinion’. However, in this instance it appears that the creation and ownership of the design ‘YOU Are The Man I Want’ lies elsewhere. The only details on the card are: ‘The WAR Series, No.1851, Printed in England. The Regent Publishing Co., Ltd, London, N.W.1 (ALL BRITISH) Photo by Bassano.’

  The Regent Publishing Co. was based in Euston Road, London, from 1905 until 1925 and issued cards of various subjects, including actors and royalty and especially views of London often in the form of original hand-coloured photographs. During the war the market for cards was fiercely competitive and it is therefore likely, in light of the ironic comment, that this company had cheekily adapted Leete’s cartoon and devised a new slogan so as to claim it as one of their own postcard designs. That said, the company had been careful to acknowledge the photographic source of Lord Kitchener as deriving from Alexander Bassano.

  ‘Your King & Country Need You’ (KCL)

  Bassano created some of the most sought-after photographic portraits of Kitchener, although none of them depicted him with an outstretched arm and accusing finger. Leete had transformed the same photographic source (outlined in more detail later in this chapter) into his memorable cartoon, although he made no reference to Bassano. Leete probably believed that as his pictorial design was so radically different to the conventional portrait image of Kitchener, there was no need. He was the first to combine the finger-pointing format with a prominent British personality.

  Another advert promoting the war cartoons printed on fine art paper appeared in the 26th September issue of London Opinion, which had a cover cartoon by Leete lampooning Austria with the caption ‘Serves Me Right. I Started It’. The war cartoons included ‘Your Country Needs YOU’, with an additional design by Leete, entitled ‘THE GOAL IS BERLIN’, which first featured in the 12th September edition. Shorter adverts promoting these war cartoons also appeared in October and November editions.

  Alexander Bassano (NPG)

  Details of the production of additional postcards were also announced by the editor of London Opinion on 31st October 1914: ‘Owing to the great popularity of the “L.O” war cartoons, as shown by the many applications for special pulls on art paper, arrangements have now been completed with Messrs. Lawrence and Jellicoe for a selection to be reproduced in the form of coloured post-car
ds. Look out for these at your stationer’s.’

  In Peter Doyle’s British Postcards of the First World War (Shire Publications, 2010), he noted that ‘During the years 1914–18, at the height of its “Golden Age”, the postcard was ubiquitous; worldwide in use and popularity. Postcards were sent (and collected avidly) by civilian and soldier alike, and were to cross all social boundaries, from the lowliest private soldier to the loftiest general.’

  Receiving post was one of the highlights of the arduous day-to-day life on the Western Front. Sorting and distribution depots were located in several areas of northern France and millions of items, including postcards, were handled during the war. The British Post Office was responsible for censoring post from the troops and this took place at Le Havre and later Boulogne. Censorship was necessary to catch spies and prevent troops from accidentally revealing vital information to the enemy, and also to stop the spread of outbreaks of low morale.

  Today, one prominent website promoting the history of World War I postcards – www.worldwar1postcards.com – has neatly summarised their popularity: ‘The newsagents W.H. Smith displayed numerous categories of war-related cards in the postcard racks of its 2,000 shops. In addition, booksellers, cinemas, corner shops, stationary stores, public houses, haberdashery stores, post offices and branches of Boots the Chemist and numerous other commercial outlets sold them. By 1915, “war cards” were also displayed and offered for sale in the thousands of Y.M.C.A. canteens in military training camps at home and on the Western Front and elsewhere.’