For the Glory of Ireland, Will you go or must I? World War I poster

The WWI For the Glory of Ireland poster was produced by an unknown artist who worked for or was commissioned by the Central Council for the Organisation of Recruiting in Ireland.

The poster depicts an Irish woman confronting a man about joining up. The woman can be seen exclaiming ‘For the Glory of Ireland’ before pointedly asking him Will You Go or Must I?

Will You Go? Irish First World War Recruitment Poster

Britain used its empire, including Ireland, to mobilize its forces as the world entered war. However, Irishmen were not conscripted during the time this poster was used. The British War Office was forced to use emotional appeals to sway volunteers from Ireland to enlist.

The woman in the poster can clearly be seen gesturing towards the scene of devastation in the background. The illustration shows the burning buildings of a town in Belgium. The image references the destruction and devastation caused by the German invasion, and military occupation of Belgium in 1914.

As seen in the poster’s background, a family watches the destruction labeled “Belgium” in the distance. Ireland and Belgium, both small nations with an overwhelmingly Catholic population, were simultaneously portrayed as counterparts in need of protection.

While Ulster’s recruitment rate matched Britain’s, Leinster and Munster were about two-thirds of that rate. Nevertheless, the deployment of 200,000 Irishmen was proportionally the greatest in the history of Irish militarism.

Mass Media Propaganda Posters

World War One was the first time the British Government was able to use mass media and propaganda as a weapon against ‘the enemy’.

Newspapers, radio and posters would deliver Government messages. Posters were relatively quick to produce, extremely cost-effective to print and easily posted on walls, advertising hoardings, in railway stations platforms and waiting rooms.

A simple poster became an effective wartime weapon in the distribution of information during the war. Thousands of posters were created for a variety of subjects.

The four main objectives of British World War I propaganda posters was to increase the recruitment of soldiers, to raise funds to help finance the war, to raise morale and to unify the public in its support of the war effort.

Iconic WWI Poster Art

Even today, more than 100 years later, many of the iconic World War I posters are instantly recognisable.

One of the most iconic posters of World War One would have to be 1914’s ‘Lord Kitchener Needs You‘ poster by Alfred Leete. It features the stern-looking Field Marshall pointing directly at you. How could you say No!

The poster was revisited three years later by the artist Montgomery-Flagg. In Flagg’s version, the pointed finger is Uncle Sam’s and the title reads ‘I Want You for the US Army‘.

Other WWI and a few years later WWII propaganda poster themes covered espionage with the ‘Loose Lips, Might Sink Ships’, ‘Someone Talked’ and ‘Keep Mum She’s Not So Dumb‘ campaigns.

Posters were printed to encourage people to grow their own food, eat less bread, eat more corn, and conserve food.

A whole raft of posters was commissioned to encourage the public to buy war bonds and open Post Office Savings accounts. Women who at that time were not allowed to fight on the front line were asked to step into the roles previously employed by men.

Buy Vintage (Ireland) WWI Poster

This vintage WWI poster is perfect for anyone who has an interest in WWI, and the poster would make a great gift for anyone with Irish roots who had ancestors that fought in the Great War. Order yours today!

We pride ourselves on offering high-quality reproduction posters at a great price. Our posters are printed on thick, high-quality paper. However, we want to be clear that the price of our posters does not include the cost of any picture frame included in the photographs, which are for illustrative purposes only.

Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.

The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.