Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

Wartime Imagery - Women and 'Home'

 
Women depicted waving a soldier off to war on a map of Scotland, Ireland and England.
M&S 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' Hankerchief
 
The cotton handkerchief pictured above was sold during the First World War in Marks & Spencer Penny Bazaars. It uses lyrics from the popular wartime song, ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’, about a homesick Irish soldier worried that his sweetheart will run away with someone else and shows women from all parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland waving a soldier off to war. 
 

 

Women in Wartime Propaganda

 
WW1 propaganda poster showing women waving off the troops, with the caption: ‘Women of Britain Say “GO!”’
WW1 Propaganda Poster
 
Imagery of women and home was also used in WW1 recruitment posters, although for slightly different reasons. The poster above shows three women and a small boy waving off troops, alongside the caption ‘Women of Britain say “GO!”’ The implication is that, if a man does not ‘GO’ to war, then he is failing to defend vulnerable people in Britain.

 

 

The Idea of 'Home'

 
During the First World War, the idea of home became extremely important to serving soldiers. This time the action was taking place just across the Channel in France, rather than thousands of miles away, as in previous 19th Century conflicts, like the South African wars. British civilians were also under threat from air-raids and coastal bombings. 
 
For the first time, Britain was vulnerable and wartime propaganda (like the poster above) encouraged people to think of soldiers fighting for their country and to keep their families safe. 
 
Image of a soldier on a printed handkerchief against a map of France
Detail of an M&S 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' Handkerchief
 
When the numbers of new recruits were no longer sufficient to replace the men being killed at the Front, the British government had to introduce conscription in 1916. Thousands of men who had no desire to become soldiers were forced to leave their families and take up a military role. Many were extremely homesick, and songs like ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ provided some small comfort, reminding them that they were doing a worthwhile job to defend their loved ones.
 

 

Glossary

 
Action – fighting, military action
Air-raids – bombings from the air
Civilian – someone who is not in the armed forces
Coastal – on the coast, by the sea
Conscription – when certain people have to serve in the military, by law
Recruit – to enrol someone as a worker or enlist them in the military
Sufficient – enough 
Vulnerable – weak, without enough defences