Evening star., 1934-10-21
COLLECTOR SEEKS
WARTIME POSTERS
Capt. E. H. MCCrahon Would
Tell Conflict Story in
Novel Fashion.

The whole picture of the World War
In propagE nda posters is the dream of
q local ve1eran.
He has collected them for 16 years
now, and must work fast, for the
relics are disappearing. No one else
seems to rive thought Of saving them.
Struck from plates long since
broken, lie many of the men they
urged to war, the posters were printed
with cheap colors on perishable paper.
But before he dies, Capt. Edward H.
McCrahon hopes to see the whole up
heaval pictured in one flaming pano-
rama.
Already he has 5000 individual
posters by which every warning ma
ton mobLlzed men and gold to be
flung into she maelstrom in the name
of King ard country, home and fire.
side, wife and mother; God, Mohamet
and the pa,:an idols.
Collection Is Unique.
Capt. MrCrahon believes his is the
only comprehensive collection in the
world. Tile scope of the collection,
like the veterans viewpoint on the
war, has widened since Capt. Nc
Crahon drove an ambulance for
France and later fought with the
77th Division.
Then Capt. McCrahon collected
only the posters of the Allies, partic-
ularly France-f1aming creations by
inspired artists of the day. urging men
to the utmost.
One of these portrays a grim COL
umn of poilus sweeping by the Arc de
Triomphe, marching on toward the
smoke -darkened horizon of Paris,
where the living merge with the
ghoStly legionS of the dead These
latter seem to mount into the distant
sky, their faces set toward victory.
AS time passed, Capt. McCrahon
began to collect the posters of the
enemy, equally alluring. They, like
those of the Allies, urged men on to
sacrifice in the name of God and
homeland.
Time was when the whole civilized
world was plastered with them, pro-
claiming the cause of the right in
all the tongues. They Haunted their
slogans and messages from every van
tage point in the worlds cities, from
lonely outposts of desert, jungle and
plain.
Seeks One Copy of Each.
Capt. McCrahon still hopes to get
one of each. Many he has been
forced to piece together, taking a frag-
ment from this source and a frag-
ment from another, and fitting them
like jig-Saw puzzles. He has de-
veloped a special preServative and
coats the posters with this to bring
out and make fast the colors, and
he has pasted the posters on more
than 5000 yards of linen.
Capt. McCrahon shares his collec-
tors enthusiasm with his wife and
two daughters, Betty Mae and Lor-
raine, the latter named after a World
War battle. Mrs. McCrahon helps
him to correspond with persons in
every country who may be able to find
a few posters.
The four McCrahon's have located
prize additions in curiosity shops,
junk yards, antique and book stores,
and through advertising in many pub
hcations. Capt. McCrahon has studied
all available data on the subject and
inquired widely to no avail in an ef-
fort to learn if he is the only collec-
tor of this sort.
European Trip Helps.
Several weeks ago, Capt. McCrahon
who is the manager of the Shoreham
Hotel swimming pool, was able to add
to his collection when he toured Eu-
rope as a delegate to the Fidac Con-
vention of the World War veterans
at London.
He hopes to complete the work in
another four years, and perhaps to
exhibit the result.
such an exhibit" Capt. McCra-
hon said, will show much of the sac
rifce. the valor and the spirit oi
the warning natior< 1t will show the
faith of friend anu foe in the justice
of their cause but, most of all
I think, 1t will be a valuable recorc
and proof Of the futility of war