Henley Probus Club

THE 491st meeting of Henley Probus Club was held at Badgemore Park on Tuesday, November 14.

The chairman and treasurer updated the members present on future events, the membership and the club’s finances.

The guest speaker was Graham Twemlow, a local arts historian, with a talk entitled “Your country needs you — propaganda posters of the world wars”.

Graham had gathered together a mass of materials about government communication in an era long before TV advertising and social media.

This included Lord Kitchener’s famous poster reading “Your country needs you” but most of the carefully assembled documents were new to members.

It provided a fascinating social history at a time of national crisis.

It was not just recruitment to the forces but minding the home front, guarding secrets and “digging for victory”.

Graham showed how posters were developed to maximise their impact and appeal while not glorifying war or exposing the potential new recruits to all the horrors which lay in store.

New members are always welcome. For more information, visit https://henley
mensprobus.org.uk/

Roger Roberts