item details
NamePoster, 'Lest We Forget'
ProductionNicolas Hager; author; circa 1998; New Zealand
Mark Roach; author; circa 1998; New Zealand
Mark Roach; author; circa 1998; New Zealand
Classificationpolitical posters
Materialspaper, ink
Techniquesphotomechanical processes
DimensionsOverall: 298mm (width), 420mm (height)
Registration NumberGH017663
Credit lineGift of Mark Roach, 2013
Overview
This poster protested against past New Zealand governments committing New Zealanders to overseas wars, namely the First World War, Cold War conflicts and the Vietnam War.
The powerful phrase 'Lest We Forget' originated in Rudyard Kipling's poem 'Recessional' written in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubiliee. It has been associated with war memorials and remembrance ceremonies ever since, and is reorientated in this poster for anti-war purposes.
The poster was possibly created for ANZAC Day in 1998, just before the Vietnam Parade in Wellington on 30 May 1998. 'Parade 98' was the first national reunion and march of Vietnam War veterans, organised with governmental assistance. The public generally received the event favourably. However, low-key protests by anti-war activists illustrated the continuing controversies generated by the Vietnam War (1959-75).