World War 1 Propaganda

Suggested Classroom Activity

Show the pupils the four videos featuring songs from the Northern Stage production of Oh What a Lovely War. Show the pupils the selection of WW1 posters. Ask the class: • What is propaganda? Propaganda is information used to promote a political cause or point of view. After a short discusssion, divide the class into four groups; give each group lyrics of one song to study along with the sheet of poster images. Ask the groups to analyse their song and match it to a poster which shares a similar sentiment or theme.

WW1 posters

Pupils can be prompted with the following questions:
• Which of the posters illustrated were used to recruit men to join the army?
• Which of the posters illustrated were used to recruit women to help with the war effort at home?
• Which of the posters illustrated were used to keep morale high at home?
• Which of the posters illustrated were used to encourage people to save food? Download OWALW_posters.pdf

We Don't Want To Lose You - (King and Country)

We've watched you playing cricket and every kind of game, At football, golf and polo you men have made your name. But now your country calls you to play your part in war. And no matter what befalls you We shall love you all the more. Oh, we don't want to lose you but we think you ought to go. It makes you almost proud to be a woman. When you make a strapping soldier of a kid. And he says, 'You put me through it and I didn't want to do it But you went and made me love you so I did. ' On Saturday I'm willing, if you'll only take the shilling, to make a man of any one of you.

Goodbye-ee

Brother Bertie went away To do his bit the other day With a smile on his lips and his Lieutenant's pips upon his shoulder bright and gay As the train moved out he said, 'Remember me to all the birds.' And he wagg'd his paw and went away to war Shouting out these pathetic words: Goodbye-ee, goodbye-ee, Wipe the tear, baby dear, from your eye-ee, Tho' it's hard to part I know, I'll be tickled to death to go. Don't cry-ee, dont sigh-ee, there's a silver lining in the sky-ee, Bonsoir, old thing, cheer-i-o, chin, chin, Nap-poo, toodle-oo, Goodbye-ee.

Keep the Home Fires Burning.

They were summoned from the hillside They were called in from the glen, And the country found them ready At the stirring call for men. Let no tears add to their hardships As the soldiers pass along, And although your heart is breaking Make it sing this cheery song: Keep the Home Fires Burning, While your hearts are yearning, Though your lads are far away They dream of home. There's a silver lining Through the dark clouds shining, Turn the dark cloud inside out 'Til the boys come home.

Bombed Last Night (Gassed Last Night)

Gassed last night and gassed the night before, Going to get gassed tonight if we never get gassed any more. When we're gassed we're sick as we can be, 'Cos phosgene and mustard gas is much too much for me. They're warning us, they're warning us, One respirator for the four of us. Thank your lucky stars that three of us can run, So one of us can use it all alone. Bombed last night and bombed the night before, Going to get bombed tonight if we never get bombed any more. When we're bombed we're scared as we can be. God strafe the bombing planes from High Germany. They're over us, they're over us, One shell hole for just the four of us. Thank your lucky stars there are no more of us, 'Cos one of us could fill it all alone.

Further group discussion around the following questions can develop the themes introduced in the activity. 1. Why did the government need more troops? Why wasn't the army big enough?

Possible answers include: • At the outbreak of war the army was geared up for a different type of warfare - the British Expeditionary Force was relatively small. • The emergence of trench warfare over a huge distance needed a lot of men to man the trench system • The war was being fought on many fronts Download OWALW_songtext.pdf

2. Why did the government need women to work? Where did they find employment and what organisations were set up to help?

Possible answers include: • The country’s workforce was being depleted as men joined up. Over 600,000 women took on previously male-dominated roles in industry during the war, working alongside men who were in reserved occupations. • Women made an increasingly varied contribution, working in labs, mills and factories, sometimes in hazardous circumstances. • the First World War was fought on a huge industrial scale. Vast quantities of munitions were needed to feed the guns and a variety of products were required to supply both military and civilian needs.

3. Why did the government feel it necessary to use propaganda to keep morale high at home

Possible answers include: • The war continued for a lot longer than expected. Most people - on both sides - believed that the war would be relatively short, and troops marched off in August 1914 with shouts of “we’ll be home by Christmas!” Casualties were huge - the Central Statistical Office stated that the total number of soldiers killed in action from the UK was 704,803 • At various points it seemed as though Germany might have the advantage, particularly when the Russian Tsar was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in 1917 • The government needed the civilian population on side - unrest at home would seriously impair the war effort Download OWALW_posters.pdf