Lord Mayors and Wartime Morale

Would you expect a Lord Mayor of Melbourne to issue a pamphlet with a quote from Stalin on its front cover? Or King George VI? Or even both?

During the Second World War Melbourne’s Lord Mayor convened a committee called the Lord Mayor’s Committee for Civil Morale. It issued a series of notes for speakers throughout the city to use as a reference when encouraging the war effort. The notes were printed on lightweight paper, a few points to a serrated page, so they could be torn off and referred to during a speech. By their very nature they were ephemeral and unlikely to survive whole or even in part.

Just one copy of the publication has been previously recorded in an Australian collection - at the National Library of Australia – it is the twelfth issue (30^th April 1943) issued while Sir Thomas Sydney Nettlefold was Lord Mayor. It is noted as being incomplete.

The RUSI of Victoria Library has two complete copies of these notes: 
No 2 (29^th July 1942), with a King George VI quotation on its cover, published during period of office of Sir Frank Beaurepaire (he had been knighted on 11^th June). It is Item 17829 in our catalog. Beaurepaire had also issued a press statement saying, “Throughout my term of office as Lord Mayor, I have been concerned, along with many citizens from all walks of life, with the strengthening of civil morale”

The second copy we have, No 8 (14^th December 1942) with a quote by Stalin on its cover was issued during Nettlefold’s period (Item 17830 in our catalog). Both are these items are important additions to our collection.