Vote 1: no conscription: no penal powers Accession Number: ARTV03068

Description

This poster was created by Save Our Sons, a protest group largely comprising mothers of men that were of conscription age during the Vietnam War. This poster was likely created by one of their members for the first Vietnam Moratorium protest on 8 May 1970.

The Save Our Sons was a woman's organisation set up by Joyce Golgerth in Sydney in May 1965. Golgerth had started contacting women who had sons of conscription age as the National Service Act was being prepared in October 1964. The organisation was set up to oppose conscription for overseas service and more specifically the use of conscripts as part of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. The 'Save Our Sons' organisation was part of a much larger tradition of women's mobilisations against war dating back to groups such as the Women's Peace Army, which opposed the conscription referenda of 1916-17. Save Our Sons members took an active part in many demonstrations where they would distribute leaflets to protestors. During the May 1970 Moratorium Save Our Sons published and distributed 50,000 copies of their leaflet 'Mothers in Mourning'. Other activities of the group included attending the court hearings of conscientious objectors and extablishing vigils at army depots, goals, Commonwealth government offices and courthouses. In Victoria in April 1971, five members of Save Our Sons were chargeed with trepass for handing out leaflets outside the National Service Centre and subsequently sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment in Fairlea Women's Prison. A 24 hour stoppage by waterside workers closed the Port of Melbourne and the Seaman's Union of Australia went on strike in protest against the women's imprisonment.

Details

Conflicts

• Vietnam, 1962-1975

Places

• Vietnam
• Australia

Tags

• Mothers
• Women
• Conscription
• Elections
• Legislation
• Protest movements