Ernest Ibbetson was born in 1877. He specialized in paintings of members of the British Army. He was also from 1910 an illustrator of Baden Powell's Boy Scouts and Boys' Life magazine. Ibbetson produced The London Cyclists (1912) for the London Regiment. The poster shows a dismounted territorial army cyclist loading his rifle. Behind him stand the remainder of the battalion ready to join them.

Ibbetson is best known for providing the art work for the famous First World War poster, Women of Britain Say - Go! (May, 1915) that was commissioned by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee. One critic has claimed that: The poster powerfully captures the division between men and women during this period and cleverly manipulates the viewer into a noble motivation for enlisting – that of protecting women and children. However, the message of the poster is directed both at women, and by women to men, thereby assigning women the responsibility for ordering men into war. The women and child cling to each other within the safety of their home, but through the open window, disciplined faceless men march towards war. Such images were used to inspire or shame men into enlisting, regardless of the emotional pain and financial strain of losing a husband, brother or son to war."

Ernest Ibbetson died in 1959.