NEW ZEALAND POST on 2 April 2014 issued Anzac stamps depicting six WWII-era posters produced during the war. Between 1939 and 1945 New Zealand produced hundreds of thousands of posters, window stickers and cards in support of its involvement in World War II. The purpose of these posters was to raise funds, recruit New Zealanders and give advice and information about the war. They helped to create a war-like atmosphere at home and keep people focused on the war effort.
In addition to the stamps, a First Day Cover was also produced, on which all six stamps were displayed. To the left of the stamps was another ‘Protect New Zealand’ poster which was designed to raise funds for New Zealand’s war effort and appealed to New Zealanders' sense of patriotism.
The stamps were designed by New Zealand Post Ltd, New Zealand. Printer was Southern Colour Print Ltd who used an offset lithography printing method. The number of colours involved a four process colours plus Synseal spot overgloss Stamp size and format was 35mm x 46mm.
70c – Duty Calls the Youth of New Zealand.
This poster was an invitation to young New Zealanders to join the Air Training Corps, founded in 1941 to ensure there were enough future recruits to fill the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ranks. Boys aged between 16 and a half and 18 years were eligible to join. The corps reached its peak strength of 9,244 in May 1944.
70c – Help Farm for Victory.
Also known as the Women’s Land Army, the Women’s Land Service was established in 1940 to meet the shortage of male farming labour caused by conscription in New Zealand. By 1944, more than 2,000 women had joined, all of them employed on farms. This small 'posterette' encouraged young women to 'Help Farm For Victory'.
The pilot in this invitation to join the RNZAF is a self-portrait of the artist, Claude Wade. The heroic theme of the poster tapped into values of patriotism and loyalty. Many New Zealanders answered the call of the RNZAF, with more than 40,000 men and women serving in the war.
New Zealand’s naval force, which from 1 October 1941 became the Royal New Zealand Navy, grew substantially during the course of the war. This poster is an emotionally charged call for New Zealanders to give money to the war effort through loans - 'New Zealand expects that everyone this week will invest in the 3rd Liberty Loan'.
New Zealanders lent their money to the government to be repaid after the war, known as 'Liberty Loans'. Nearly half of New Zealand's war spending was covered by internal borrowing, so New Zealand had no outstanding overseas debt after the war. Posters like this tried appealing to New Zealanders' sense of patriotism and sacrifice.
The war effort included appeals made in Māori to ensure all citizens were informed and persuaded. Such posters were rare, as government messages were usually delivered orally on the marae. This poster asks for funds for weapons for the war effort, with one line of the text translating to “without weapons we shall perish”
Source: New Zealand Post
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