National Archives - ACOMSDave

Since I have been a small boy I have had a fascination with espionage (in particular codes and cyphers) which these days have turned into novels and non-fiction books on espionage. I also developed a fascination with camouflage because as I was building model first warplanes and setting them in dog-fights they had to be camouflaged. and this also carried over into models of naval ships. The Art of Persuasion drew immediately when I saw the advertisement of the exhibition because it was about an area I loved in history, and also it would enable me to visit The British Army Museum, which I had never been to before.

I was not disappointed with the museum, it was well apportioned, light and easily accessible with many areas to view covering the history for the British soldier from the Zulu Wars to Northern Ireland to the latest sorties.

I revelled in everything presented and will be going back in future visits to London. It also has a lovely restaurant and scrumptious meals.

So where is this leading, well the link may seem tenuous, but last year I was extremely fortunate to be able to go to the National Army Museum’s exhibition ‘The Art of Persuasion’.

Where is the link you may ask, well whether it espionage or camouflage you are seeking to persuade someone about something, and the exhibition ‘The Art of Persuasion: Wartime Posters by Abram Games’ does exactly the same. However, in this case, it is being used as Lisa Broe has stated as:
⦁ an information source
⦁ to provide entertainment (movies, magazines, television, etc.)
⦁ to provide global awareness
⦁ as an educational source
⦁ to shape our knowledge and opinions
⦁ as an advertisement

The exhibition explored the life and legacy of designer Abram Games and focused on his time as an ‘Official War Poster Artist’ during the Second World War and the impact he had on peoples lives then, and subsequently even on our lives today.

Games was inspired by many things, but in particular by his Jewish heritage, his experiences as a soldier, the politics which he had experienced and was experiencing, and by his need to:
⦁ recruit
⦁ educate
⦁ influence servicemen and women
⦁ influence civilians from all walks of life

This exhibition showed how Games techniques enabled communication effectively, and covered from his stark imagery and visual puns to the airbrush techniques which were so innovative at that time ( and still are).

A book on the work of Abram Games, written by his daughter, [Naomi Games] makes for an (at least for me) riveting read.

Abram Games: His Wartime Work by Naomi Games (link to Amazon)

(Out-take Update Vol. 2, No, 2 (03.09.1988))
CAUCUSES
The National Union of Students (NUS), Lesbian and Gay Liberation Campaign held its conference in the QUB (the Queens’ University, Belfast) Students’ Union building this year. That may seem an odd way of putting things, but that is what happened. “In Belfast” is the wrong phrase.
Locals were not informed about the event until a few days prior to its happening. Participants had to sleep, eat, and live in one of the city’s least amenable building for living, eating, and especially, sleeping. Some escapees remarked on how peaceful and pleasant the town seemed.
The Conference itself was not especially interesting to outsiders. Some time ago a Lesbian Caucus was set up, with guaranteed places on the Campaign Committee. This led, in the national ballot, to an over-all lesbian majority on the Committee. This has disconcerted some men, (though they are probably somewhat embarrassed by the feeling), for sexist reasons. They are uncomfortable with women being in charge.
Others appeared to have very vague ideas about what a caucus was. They perceived it as a ghetto for women. One (rather handsome Indian-looking) man let a scabby cat out of the bag. He said something to the effect “Why isn’t there weighted representation for, say, members of the Revolutionary Communist Party?” (!) In other words, some of the men did not like the largely businesslike, rhetoric-free politics of the present Committee.
Locals pointed out that the Caucus was quite legitimately viewed as a power-base. If that view was not acceptable there were a number of alternatives. One was a return to free-for-al elections. Another was to split the Campaign along gender lines. A third, the preferred option, was the status quo ante.
Another somewhat controversial point was the question of the Irish language. It was suggested that Campaign (and all NUS) documents should be translated into Gaelic. As few people in Northern Ireland speak Gaelic on a day to day basis locals felt it would be more trouble than it was worth.
A rational solution to this problem created by good Brit intentions was to donate any monies set aside to the promotion of the Irish language directly to Gaeilscoileanna (Irish language schools). They were legitimate and pacific enterprises.