In
reflecting the serious three week move into war,
Advertisements
continue to add to the effect -
As
additional publications are already underway,
Creating awareness
in recording instant history
Of the ‘titanic
conflict’ already entitled the Great War.
The term
having been coined from the outbreak
Is a
complete and authentic account of the progress
Of struggles
of nations giving ‘vividness and colour,’
Made In
black and white by special correspondents.
The selling
of which illustrated by an Armour gauntlet
Wielding a
quill (is the pen mightier than the sword?)
With parts 1
and 2 are already in great demand
Somehow
downplays the enormity of it all…
The store of
Selfridges follows up their effort to the war.
Where Oxford
Street calls out to the discerning lady,
And the
importance of fashion playing their part.
From the
commercial salons of Selfridges,
Comes 'le
dernier cri' in exclusivity of Paris
Fashion Houses
– the ladies mission as a priority
With gowns
and costumes, coats for steamer, Auto
Or travel
wear, hats blouses, tea frocks and silk kimonos,
In colours
of Velours, Ponycloth or Crepe de Chene.
So the
discerning lady cannot avoid this link to war,
With a
drawing of soldiers marching from the store,
Under a
billowing cloud of good-bye and good luck.
Beside the
prominent heading of a Red Cross Depot,
To supply
everything required by Red Cross ladies.
From Aprons
to nightshirts for every discerning lady,
Involved in
organizing private hospitals or Nursing Corps.
Even giving
guidelines to make a fitted hospital kit bag,
To buy,
being of strong canvas 20 inches wide.
Elsewhere,
under the bold black heading, is a call
To every
unit of commerce, involving the corset -
Declared as
a master stroke war is now declared on
German
ladies corsetry and their suspicious trade.
So stirs the
‘old fighting spirit in every Briton.’
With an
appeal for calmness against West-end houses
Who are
sending their corset orders to Germany!
Such is the
scandal to astonish all patriotic drapers -
Comes the
cry ‘Ladies must and will have corsets.’
In the
closing of continental markets come underhand
Forces of
deceptive sellers, as German corsets
Continue to
enter the country under false disguises,
Labelled
French creations - some still use busks and steels
From stashed
German bulk supplies. So up comes the call,
From Royal
Worcester makers, who with superhuman effort
And
Lancashire supplies, provide the emphasis:
The
dedicated patriotism of their workers gone to war -
Being paid
in absence and promise of jobs on their return -
So strikes
the needs of growing War commerce,
Making use
of adverts in disguise of a report
With catchy
titles ‘Royal Worcester corsets to the Front’
And of course
how ‘Ladies must and will have corsets.’
by
Jamie Mann
Anon.,
1914. Good - Bye and Good Luck (advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, [online] 24 Aug. p.5. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11034714/Daily-Telegraph-August-24-1914.html [Accessed: 24th August 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 24
August 2014).
#WW1centenary
#GreatWar #WW1 #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered #WW1women
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