First World War recruitment poster estimated at £200-400 in the Onslows auction on December 14.
The four young lions symbolising Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand listen to the plea of the older big cat above on a rock with the exhortation The Empire needs men! The 1915 poster, No 58, was published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London, printed by Straker Brothers of Bishopsgate.
Propaganda posters were a big feature of this conflict and played a big role in persuading men to enlist, while women were urged to fill in for men in factories and other work.
As the war progressed, it became clear that the small professional British Army of 1914 was not enough. The Empire answered the call: nearly half the servicemen and women who fought were volunteers from India, Africa, the Caribbean, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
