Great War posters exhibition at Swansea Museum

PROPAGANDA posters from the Great War are now on display at historic Swansea Museum.

The posters, which date from the outbreak of World War One in 1914 to its end in 1918, form part of an exhibition that’s running until September 27 at the Victoria Road attraction.

Swansea Council is behind the free exhibition.

The posters illustrate themes include enlistment campaigns, the need to conserve food and the drive to contribute money to the war fund.

Some of the 31 posters are very recognisable, such as those featuring John Bull and the sinking of the Lusitania, while others, including a poster with a message for St David’s Day, were targeted at a more local audience.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “World War One had a devastating impact on Swansea and the rest of Great Britain, so it’s vitally important we do all we can to commemorate our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice a century ago. Propaganda posters such as those now on display at Swansea Museum were once part and parcel of everyday life.

“What’s fascinating is the change of tone in the messages being conveyed as the war progressed. At the outset of war the tone tended to be very patriotic, but the language towards the end of the conflict illustrated the sense of urgency that people throughout Britain and further afield must have been feeling. These posters were intended to strike a chord with everyone, regardless of background or class, by appealing to characteristics like people’s spirit of adventure or moral values.

“This exhibition is part of an on-going series of events and activities here in Swansea that will continue to mark 100 years since the Great War right up until 2018.”

Other posters on display show messages the British Government wanted to communicate, from appeals for volunteers to fight to calls for financial assistance and support for the wounded.