Image ID: 21804

Ladies Day during Mansfield Bond Week, promoting the sales of War Bonds.

Courtesy of Mansfield Museum and Art Gallery

Market Place
Mansfield
England

See NCCW000840 for a better picture with The Duchess of Portland herself addressing the crowds. The photograph here shows an unidentified lady promoting the sales of War Bonds during the first World War. During World War One, the range of roles open to women was immense: they manned factories, invested in war bonds, harvested crops, and cared for troops on leave. They also enlisted in the armed forces. (In World War One, approximately 80,000 women served in the three British women's forces as non-combatants). They were also powerful within the field of propaganda: their images used in posters to encourage men to fight, and presenting white feathers to those who didn't. During the war Britain had to employ several measures to increase finance. Income tax and duties on luxury imports were put up and people were encouraged to buy war bonds from the state by posters and promotional events such as the one seen here.

Date: 1918

Organisation Reference: NCCW001141

Organisation: