This poster, showing a Knight of the Order of St John holding a banner, was to advertise a new monthly magazine, ‘St John’s Magazine’. The stylised knight wears the eight pointed cross on his chest, and the banner showing the title of the magazine has the St John Ambulance emblems on the reverse. The simple colours of black, white and red reflect the black and white uniform of St John Ambulance and the red and white of the Order’s arms. 

This magazine never came to fruition, but other magazines were published with St John news from the early days of St John Ambulance. Our collections hold many editions of First Aid journal, which started in 1895 and was intended to be an independent journal for the Ambulance and Fire services. It’s possible that the St John’s Magazine this poster was intended to advertise was considered not needed, as First Aid magazine predominantly reported on St John Ambulance services across the country, with reports from overseas centres as well.  

We currently have digitised issues of First Aid magazine for the duration of the first and second world wars, available to view for free online.  

A magazine titled St John Gazette (called Chivalry for the first few issues), which then became the St John Review and subsequently St John World, was published by St John Ambulance from the 1930s onwards. 

This Poster was digitised as part of the Bearers of the Cross project, you can see more of our collections relating to our medieval history here.