Leaflets (which were frequently dropped from aeroplanes in order to obtain the maximum of spectacular effect), posters, speakers, etc., were, of course, supplied by the Director of Publicity for each tank in each town.
“Feed the Guns” weeks were run on the same principle, the tanks being replaced by giant howitzers fitted with an ingenious device whereby the bonds sold could actually be stamped in the breeches of the guns themselves.
“Business Men's Week,” which was held simultaneously throughout the country, and “War Weapons Weeks,” which were worked town by town, were run somewhat differently. In both these cases the cities and towns of the country were assessed to subscribe amounts calculated on a basis of £2 10s. 0d. per head of population, and this amount instead of being expressed in figures was expressed as some definite weapon of war which the amount in question would suffice to purchase. Thus a large city would be asked to subscribe sufficient in a week to purchase one or more battleships, a smaller town enough to purchase a cruiser, a township enough to purchase a squadron of aeroplanes, a village enough for a howitzer.
This dramatic method of presenting each community with an opportunity to achieve concrete expression of its duty as a community brought splendid results. Scarcely a town or city in the country failed to perform its task, and during very many of the weeks sums far in excess of the assessments were subscribed. Liverpool, for instance, asked to purchase a battleship, invested sufficient during its week to purchase no less than six!
All these separate campaigns of special weeks were “led off” by spectacular displays in Trafalgar Square, London, which was transformed for each occasion into something resembling a huge circus. Tanks or guns, as the case might be, were “parked” and surrounded with skilfully built imitation trenches and entanglements; barriers and huts were erected, painted scenery was provided to form a background, giant posters almost hid the façades of the National Gallery and the buildings surrounding the Square, and hundreds of thousands of people were attracted of a class which could probably not have been reached by any other form of appeal. Vast business was done during these Trafalgar Square weeks, sums running into many millions being invested during each. So great was the enthusiasm roused that some business firms actually marched down their employees with bands and flying flags to make their purchases of bonds during the prevailing excitement.
Not content with waiting in Trafalgar Square for subscriptions to come to them, two of these huge tanks snorted and puffed, day by day, through the streets of the city, calling at the offices of the leading insurance firms to collect applications for War Bonds. As a tank does not move swiftly it was necessary to limit this privilege of a “personal” call to firms desirous of investing £50,000 or over.
Government carrier-pigeons were also used, with great success from the point of view of publicity, to bring in applications from a distance to Trafalgar Square.
Another important publicity aspect of these special weeks was the opportunity each provided for an important official opening. Thus “Business Men's Week” was preceded by a great public meeting in the Connaught Rooms at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer was the chief speaker and to which all the leading bankers of the kingdom were invited. It is probable that from the financial point of view no more influential gathering than this has ever taken place. “Feed the Guns Weeks” were introduced by another great meeting at the Guildhall, addressed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Rt.-Hon. A. J. Balfour.
The extent of the response to these special weeks was enormous, as may be judged by one of them only, the “Business Men's Week,” which brought in £160,000,000 — nearly eight times as much as the average weekly total.
Apart, however, from greatly increased purchases, these special weeks, “booms,” and “stunts” were very valuable as yielding a continuous “news” story. The problem before the publicity director was to maintain interest in War Bonds week after week and month after month; and had the campaign once been allowed to become a matter of routine, lacking new incidents, the “news” story of it would perforce have dropped out of the columns of the press. As it was, so great was the variety and so many the incidents that a full-size news agency had to be installed at headquarters, where a large staff was kept busily engaged in collecting news by telegram and telephone from all over the country and passing it on to the press.
A successful publicity device was the inter-town War Bond Race. The race, of course, was to secure the largest total of local holdings in War Bonds, and, promoted and fostered by the Publicity Director, it went gaily on for months — the varying position of the leading cities, now one leading, now another, forming for over a year an almost staple article of news.
Many other publicity devices were employed, among which the following may be noted:—
(1). Arranging with the Postmaster-General to adopt a cancellation mark carrying the words “Buy War Bonds,” so that practically every citizen received a daily reminder of his duty on the envelope of every letter received. (2). A letter signed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging investment as a patriotic duty — sent out by the Bank of England with each dividend on a Government security. (3). A letter signed by the chairmen of banks to the individual depositors urging that deposits should be reduced and the money invested in War Bonds. (4). A letter sent out by limited liability companies simultaneously with the dispatch of their dividend warrants, urging that the amount of the dividend should be at once invested in War Bonds.
These letters ran, of course, into many millions, and the drafting, preparation, and printing of them was not the least arduous of the tasks which the Publicity Director and his staff had to face.
After the Armistice a closing date for War Bonds was announced, and a very extensive final appeal was organized which brought the total of investment in them up to the magnificent figure of £1,600.000,000 subscribed in under 17 months.
The publicity in connexion with War Bonds more than justified itself. It established the feasibility of the hitherto untried system of continuous borrowing; it secured a total of subscriptions far in excess of anything that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had contemplated; and it did, in fact, finance the war to a finish.
Publicity in connexion with post-Armistice loans — notably the Thanksgiving Loan of 1919 (popularly termed the “Joy Loan”) was conducted on similar lines. War, which altered and remodelled so much that had appeared fixed, certainly brought a new spirit and a new method into the floating of Government loans in Great Britain. The success achieved was so marked as to make it unlikely that any future Chancellor of the Exchequer would embark upon any big loan issue without first assuring himself of the services of the most influential publicity adviser.
WARRE, EDMOND (1837–1920), English educationist, was
born in London Feb. 12 1837, the son of Henry Warre, of Lindon
House, near Wellington. He was educated at Eton and Balliol
College, Oxford, where he had a distinguished career, taking a
double first (1856 and 1859). In 1859 he was elected a fellow of
All Souls. He went to Eton in 1860 as assistant master, and in
1884 was elected Headmaster, a position which he retained until
1905. After a period of retirement he was in 1909 appointed
provost of Eton in succession to Dr. James Hornby, but during
the greater part of his provostship he was incapacitated by ill
health from taking any very active part in the government of
the school. He was an hon. chaplain to Queen Victoria (1885–1901),
and later occupied the same office in the households of
King Edward VII. and King George V. He was created M.V.O.
in 1901, C.B. in 1905, and C.V.O. in 1910. He died at Eton Jan.
22 1920. He took much interest in sport at Eton, and the high
standard of rowing to which the Eton eights attained was due
in a large measure to his coaching. His 45 years' connexion with
Eton thoroughly identified him with its traditions and ideals,
and, without being remarkable either as scholar or as teacher, he
wielded a personal influence which has seldom been surpassed.
WARREN, WHITNEY (1864- ), American architect, was
born in New York City Jan. 29 1864. After studying at the
