Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Air Crews Wanted for R.A.A.F., 1939 Australia poster: An oversized three-dimensional 'R.A.A.F.' stands on a blue-white-red

Air Crews Wanted for R.A.A.F.

An oversized three-dimensional 'R.A.A.F.' stands on a blue-white-red air force roundel, above a table of age limits for pilots, observers and wireless operator-air gunners and where to apply. It is mainly an information notice; the one persuasive device (the tell) is the roundel, a symbol of the service enlarged to carry its prestige onto the recruiting call.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Transfer
Date
1939
Period
Second World War
Made by
Royal Australian Air Force (recruiting; imprint code 'AF4')
Region
Oceania
Country
Australia
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
Military
Regime
Menzies Government
Leader
Robert Menzies
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Recruit
Theme
War and the military
Event
World War II
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
Rights
Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision (Australian Commonwealth wartime government poster)
Royal Australian Air Force (Commonwealth of Australia). National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-36.

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

AIR CREWS WANTED FOR
R.A.A.F.
PILOTS AGED 18 TO 31 YEARS    OBSERVERS AGED 18 TO 32 YEARS
WIRELESS OPERATOR — AIR GUNNERS AGED 18 TO 32 YEARS
APPLY R.A.A.F. RECRUITING CENTRE IN CAPITAL CITIES AND
VOLUNTARY SELECTION COMMITTEES IN COUNTRY CENTRES
AF 4

More propaganda examples that use the same techniques

Fragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouchesNew Kingdom EgyptFragments of the Abydos king list from Ramesses II's temple, in the British Museum: rows of royal cartouches0000 · Card stacking, TransferClay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three templesNeo Babylonian EmpireClay cylinder with the Ehulhul inscription of Nabonidus, king of Babylon, describing work on three temples0000 · TransferSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-BahriNew Kingdom EgyptSeated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri0000 · Transfer, TestimonialGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)Neo Babylonian EmpireGlazed-brick panel with a striding lion, from Babylon (reign of Nebuchadnezzar II)0000 · TransferLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at HerakleopolisNew Kingdom EgyptLimestone relief block of Ramesses II wearing the White Crown, a jubilee relief from his temple at Herakleopolis0000 · TransferLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of EgyptNew Kingdom EgyptLine drawing of the Great Kadesh battle relief on the walls of the Ramesseum, from Breasted's History of Egypt0000 · Card stacking, TransferContent noteGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal IINeo Assyrian EmpireGypsum alabaster slab inscribed in cuneiform, from Nimrud (Kalhu), reign of Ashurnasirpal II0000 · Transfer, Glittering generalitiesEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCEAchaemenid EmpireEgyptian alabaster jar inscribed with the name of Xerxes the Great in four languages (Old Persian, Elamite, Babylonian, Egyptian), 486 to 466 BCE0000 · Transfer