Original World War II-era “WELCOME!” publication for American servicemen arriving in the British Isles, featuring a large photographic portrait of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill giving his famous V-for-Victory sign on the front.
The cover includes a printed welcome message attributed to Churchill addressed directly to American soldiers who had left home to join Allied forces gathering in Britain:
“To each American soldier who has left home to join the great forces now gathering in this island, I send a message of greeting and welcome…”
This fascinating piece of WWII American military ephemera was designed to orient newly arrived U.S. servicemen to Britain while also providing them with current wartime news from Europe and the home front.
Inside, “The Land That Greets You” introduces American troops to the British Isles and includes a detailed map of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, along with information on major British cities and landmarks.
Another section, “Summary of the News Since You Left,” provided servicemen with an overview of rapidly developing wartime events. Headlines and reports include:
“Marines Advance in Pacific”
“Russians Drive Into Poland: 5th Push On 10-Mile Front”
“Berlin Is Nearly All Flat”
“New Warplane Has No Prop.”
“Jugoslav Landing Reported”
“Justice For Poland Call”
The reverse contains additional wartime and American home-front reporting, including:
“Lease-Lend Millions Revealed”
“New Records in War Production”
“Roosevelt’s New Year Message – From Sick Bed Is For Unity”
“Two-Ocean Navy”
“Bill For Furloughs”
Sports news and other contemporary American reports
The combination of the Churchill cover, serviceman-oriented British guide, battlefield reporting, home-front news and wartime map makes this considerably more interesting than a standard period newspaper. It is a tangible piece of material produced for the enormous movement of American troops into Great Britain during World War II.
Condition
Complete.
Original period paper publication showing expected age and handling wear. There are numerous original horizontal and vertical folds from storage and use, toning and discoloration, scattered spotting/soiling, edge wear, small edge tears and creases, including wear along the right edge as clearly photographed. Despite its age and fragile newspaper-type paper, the piece survives complete and remains highly displayable.
Please review all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.
An excellent original WWII collectible for a collection focused on Winston Churchill, American soldiers in Britain, U.S. Army history, World War II newspapers, Allied propaganda, British home front history, wartime ephemera, military maps, or D-Day-era material.