PBA Galleries

Color lithographed poster. 105x68.5 cm (41¼x27"), backed with linen.

Rare and captivating poster showing a forester sawing, and men moving timber using horse sleds. The poster is the result of an appeal by British to the government of Canada to recruit a specialized forestry battalion for service in Britain and France, where forestry skills were in short supply. In a period of six weeks, over 1,600 men were recruited for the unit, which was assigned such tasks as clearing sites to build airfields, manufacturing railroad ties, and producing lumber to shore up trenches and build barracks and hospitals. OCLC/WorldCat lists only two examples, both at the Library of Congress, one the same size as the present copy, the other slightly larger. Another copy can be found in the Archives of Ontario. No copies can be found as having been auctioned by major auction houses. The poster was not offered as part of the Hans Sachs collection of over 12,000 posters sold at Guernsey's  in 2013-2015.