The White Feather Campaign

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The White Feather Campaign

1. The message of the poster, source A, is for families to encourage

the man to sign up for the army and go off to war to fight for the

country. They did this because compared to the German army at the

beginning of the war, it was very small. The artist conveys the

message of two women who are both from different classes waving

off their husbands and sons who are going off to war. They are

comforting each other implying that all women should come together

and put aside their feelings to do what is best for the country.

2. Source B describes the activity of the white feather campaign as

the women of the military towns such as Woolwich especially, would

walk up to you if you were not in some kind of uniform and put a

white feather in the lapel of your coat. The source states: 'They

would come up to you and give you a white feather or stick it in

the lapel of your coat.' The source also tells us the 'white

feather was a sign of cowardice'; this meant that you should

register for the army and serve your country.

Source E explains that women sometimes surrounded you, would verbally

abuse you and criticize you for not being in the war and put a white

feather in your coat. It states: 'They started shouting at me, calling

me all sorts of names for not being a soldier! They stuck a white

feather in my coat…'

Both sources show the campaign worked because in Source B the title of

it is, 'William Brooks, talking about why he joined up in 1915.'

Source E states: 'I went to the recruiting office…I was in!' The

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