A recruiting poster appealing for women to volunteer for service in the First World War. Many posters in the war displayed the Union Jack, but this one appeals to a sense of Scottish patriotism. The phrase "your duty is clear" is reminiscent of similar appeals to men on posters produced earlier in the war.
The poster indicates the varied military and civilian jobs which were open to women during the war, often for the first time. It is ironic that this poster appeared in September 1918, only a few weeks before the Armistice. Women were expected to give up their jobs to returning soldiers once the war was over.
Agitation for votes for women by suffragettes in the years before the war had been unsuccessful. The contribution of women to the war effort changed attitudes within the government, which brought in votes for women over 30 years of age in 1918 and over 21 years in 1928.
Reference: First World War posters drawer
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
armed forces, First World War, posters, St Andrew's Cross, suffragettes, votes for women, women, women workers
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