Loafers in the park - WW1 recruitment cartoon
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Loafers in the park - WW1 recruitment cartoon
Wastage! " War? Well, wot abart it?" The stirring carll to arms - " Your King and Country Need You!" - has still failed to reach, or at any rate to arouse a certain section of our available fighting material. The Park Loafer, for instance, who does not look as if he had any " encumbrances, " has apparently decided that he is the countrys last line of defence. A cartoon criticising young men who have not answered the countrys call in the early stages of the First World War. Date: 1914
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Media ID 14148760
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Classes Critical Loafer Loafers Lounging Manpower Parks Patriotism Recruiting Recruitment Loafing
EDITORS COMMENTS
In the early days of the First World War, as the stirring call to arms echoed through the land with the cry of "Your King and Country Need You!", some sectors of potential recruits remained unmoved. This satirical cartoon from 1914, titled "Wastage! 'War? Well, wot abart it?' The stirring call to arms - 'Your King and Country Need You!' - has still failed to reach, or at any rate to arouse a certain section of our available fighting material," depicts a group of young men in a park, seemingly unperturbed by the ongoing conflict. The caption takes a critical tone towards these "park loafers," who appear to be the last line of defense for the country, rather than the soldiers on the front lines. Dressed in casual attire and lounging on the grass, they seem to be more concerned with their leisure time than with answering the call to duty. This cartoon serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by recruiters during the early stages of the war in mobilizing manpower from all classes and sectors of society. The image is a poignant commentary on the complexities of patriotism and the motivations behind enlistment during a time of national crisis.
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