Very Rare Original 1915 WW1 British Propaganda Recruitment Poster Single Men

This has not been professionally mounted in the frame. I have put it in a basic frame to protect it.

🪖 Original WW1 1915 British Recruitment Poster – “Single Men, Show Your Appreciation by Following Their Noble Example” – Parliamentary Recruiting Committee No.120

A genuine First World War recruitment poster, printed in August 1915 by The Abbey Press, 32 & 34 Great Peter Street, Westminster, S.W., and published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London (Poster No.120). This striking lithographic design was issued to encourage unmarried men to enlist for King and Country, appealing to their sense of duty by comparing them to the married men already serving at the front.

⚙️ Details

• Title: Single Men – Show Your Appreciation by Following Their Noble Example

• Date: August 1915 (print code: 25M – 8/15)

• Publisher: Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London

• Printer: The Abbey Press, 32 & 34 Great Peter St., Westminster, S.W.

• Poster Number: 120

• Size: Approx. standard British wartime issue (roughly 76 × 51 cm / 30 × 20 in)

• Printing method: Early 20th-century stone lithography

🧠 Historical Background

By mid-1915, enthusiasm for voluntary enlistment had declined, prompting the British government to issue increasingly persuasive posters through the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee.

This particular design contrasts a domestic family scene — a mother and children at the dinner table with an empty chair for the absent father — with soldiers firing in the trenches below. The text urges single men to “show your appreciation by following their noble example.”

These posters were displayed across towns, railway stations, and post offices before conscription began in 1916. Surviving examples are scarce, especially unmounted and in original folded condition.

🧾 Authenticity & Verification

This example has been closely examined in person and photographed under magnification. All features are consistent with genuine 1915 wartime production, including:

1. Correct publisher and printer markings – “Published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London. Poster No.120.” and “Printed by The Abbey Press… 25M – 8/15,” matching official WWI issue records.

2. True period lithography – visible colour layering and slight mis-registration in the text (“SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION”) typical of multi-stone printing.

3. Authentic wartime paper – fibrous, off-white rag-content stock with mild foxing, not modern bleached or glossy paper.

4. Original fold pattern – factory-issued four-fold design for postal distribution, consistent with official PRC storage and mailing practices.

5. Aged toning and ink absorption – oxidation and pigment feathering along fold lines that cannot be replicated by digital or photo-offset reprints.

6. No halftone dot pattern under magnification (verifying it is not a modern reproduction).

All physical characteristics point to this being an original 1915 production, not a later facsimile.

📜 Condition

• Good overall vintage condition for age (110 years old).

• Retains excellent colour saturation and crisp text

• Original fold lines present with small tears at intersections and outer margins (see close-ups).

• No restoration, trimming, or modern touch-ups.

• Displays beautifully as-is; would benefit from professional linen-backing for preservation and display.

Graded conservatively as Very Good (VG) condition for its age.

Keywords: WW1 Poster, First World War, British Army Recruitment, King & Country, Abbey Press, Parliamentary Recruiting Committee No.120, 1915 Propaganda Poster, Original Lithograph, Antique Military Memorabilia, WWI Trench Art, Great War Collectable, Single Men Enlistment Poster, Authentic Historical Ephemera.

It will be supplied in a basic plastic frame, purely to protect it from further damage during storage and postage. The frame isn’t high quality and is mainly there for protection — the buyer will likely want to replace it with a proper display frame once received.