Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Cold-Blooded Murder! Remember Germany's Crowning Infamy, 1915 UK poster: A text-only recruiting poster that leads

Cold-Blooded Murder! Remember Germany's Crowning Infamy

A text-only recruiting poster that leads with the Lusitania sinking, then lists eight charges beginning 'Germans have', from murdered civilians and gas at Ypres to poisoned wells in South Africa, and ends 'Enlist to-day'. Documented events and unverified claims share one typeface and one format with no dates, places or sources, and the closing label 'German barbarians' sums up the list.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Card stackingName-callingFear appealAtrocity propaganda
Date
1915
Period
First World War
Made by
Parliamentary Recruiting Committee (United Kingdom), poster no. 97; printed by Roberts & Leete Ltd., London

Full record

Region, Country, Medium, Issuer type, Regime, Leader, Audience, Purpose, Themes, Event, Source, Rights
Region
Western and Central Europe
Country
United Kingdom
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
Mixed
Regime
Asquith Government
Leader
Herbert Henry Asquith
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Recruit
Themes
War and the military, Media and information
Event
World War I
Regime
Asquith government
Leader
H. H. Asquith
Source
Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
Source
Library of Congress, retrieved September 27, 2026
Rights
Public domain in the U.S. (published before 1931)
1915. Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-11309.

Text on the object

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

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

COLD-BLOODED MURDER!

REMEMBER

GERMANY'S CROWNING INFAMY

THE SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA, WITH HUNDREDS OF WOMEN & CHILDREN

Germans have wantonly sacked Cities and Holy Places.

Germans have murdered thousands of innocent Civilians.

Germans have flung vitriol and blazing petrol on the Allied Troops.

Germans have killed our Fisherfolk and deserted the drowning.

Germans have inflicted unspeakable torture by poison gases on our brave Troops at Ypres.

Germans have poisoned wells in South Africa.

Germans have ill-treated British Prisoners.

Germans have assassinated our Wounded.

THESE CRIMES AGAINST GOD AND MAN ARE COMMITTED TO TRY AND MAKE YOU AFRAID OF THESE GERMAN BARBARIANS

The place to give your answer is
THE NEAREST RECRUITING OFFICE

ENLIST TO-DAY

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