The "Scrap of Paper": Signatures and Seals of the 1839 Treaty, Enlist To-Day

A parchment with five red wax seals and the signatures 'Palmerston' and 'Bülow' is captioned as the 1839 treaty guaranteeing Belgian neutrality, above the line 'The Germans have broken their pledged word and devastated Belgium.' The authority of a signed treaty is lent to the recruiting appeal, and 'honour' and 'liberty' stand in for any account of what enlisting would involve.

Date

1915

Period

First World War

Made by

Parliamentary Recruiting Committee (United Kingdom), poster no. 15; printed by Johnson, Riddle & Co., London

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

Theme

War and the military

Event

World War I

Techniques

TransferGlittering generalities

Regime

Asquith government

Leader

H. H. Asquith

Source

Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are

Source

Library of Congress, retrieved October 2, 2026

Rights

Public domain in the U.S. (published 1915, before 1931)
1915. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, World War I Posters collection. LOC rights advisory: 'No known restrictions on publication.'

THE "SCRAP OF PAPER"

[signatures and seals on the drawn treaty: Palmerston, Bülow and others, partly illegible]

These are the signatures and seals of the representatives of the Six Powers to the "Scrap of Paper" - the Treaty signed in 1839 guaranteeing the independence and neutrality of Belgium.
"Palmerston" signed for Britain, "Bülow" for Prussia.

The Germans have broken their pledged word and devastated Belgium. Help to keep your Country's honour bright by restoring Belgium her liberty.

ENLIST TO-DAY

[illegible - small printer's imprint at foot: Johnson, Riddle & Co., Ltd., London, S.E.; Published by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London, Poster No. 15]