Creator A. J. Cumming

Date 1915

Australian War Memorial description:

'Australian First World War recruitment poster with a direct appeal by Australia to Australians, more specifically Queenslanders. The Union Jack features in the border, alternated with the a map of Queensland. The main image of the poster shows two large maps, one of the Balkans and Asia Minor, and the other of the Dardanelles. An Australian soldier stands before an Honour Roll listing his dead countryman, brandishing his bayonet rifle as he points to the Gallipoli Peninsula. The Australian Flag is featured in the bottom right corner, with the text 'We're coming lads, hold on!' emblazoned across it. ..Recruitment posters were in prolific supply in Australia throughout the First World War. Australia relied solely on voluntary recruits to serve in the AIF. Compulsory military service, or conscription, for eligible men was in force in Australia from 1911, however, these forces were for home defence and could not be used to serve in a war overseas. Following the initial rush of men to recruit in 1914, enrolments dropped, leaving federal and state governments to devise sophisticated campaigns to boost numbers. The maps and text suggests that this poster was published before December 1915.'

Source: National Library of Australia