1918 Victory Bonds Will Help Stop This Kultur vs Humanity HMHS Llandovery Castle

Date: 1918
Artist: Unknown
Size (in): 36" x 24"
Size (cm): 91.5 x 61
Condition: B
Linen backed: Yes

This vintage original and very rare poster was issued by the Canadian government during WWI. The poster depicts the sinking of the Canadian hospital ship HMHS Llandovery Castle which was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland on June 27, 1918 resulting in the loss of 234 souls including mostly doctors, nurses and wounded soldiers and seamen.

The incident was particularly horrific because German U-Boat U-86, under the command of Captain Helmut Brümmer-Patzig, sought to destroy all evidence of the atrocity by surfacing and turning machineguns on the lifeboats as the burning ship sank. Only 24 survivors escaped the slaughter. The incident, the deadliest Canadian naval disaster of WWI, shocked the world and was prosecuted as a war crime at the Leipzig Trials in 1921.

This vintage original poster has been professionally linen backed with expert touchup as needed including repairs to a couple short tears and and mitigation to small creases. The poster has a small reddish spot near the top edge and a bit of an ink smear in the lower margin area, both of which appear to be minor printer's defects. The poster displays very nicely and overall condition is very good.