The poster featured here was printed in 1939 by the Ministry
of Information. Some reports indicate the item was distributed but never hung.
Others say there was minimal use of the poster, but because it was met with
distain, the campaign it was part of was scrapped. It was originally thought
that only two copies of the item existed, but during a 2010 episode of Antiques
Roadshow, a participant arrived with twenty in his possession. Prior to that in
2000, a bookshop owner discovered one of the posters in a box and hung it in
his shop. It became quite popular and morphed into other iterations since then.
The Ministry of Information was formed the day after Britain
declared war on Germany. It’s mission was to “promote the national case to the
public at home and abroad in time of war.” It did this through the use of
propaganda and controlling news and information. Initially it was responsible
for censorship, issuing official news, home publicity, and publicity in Allied
and neutral countries.
Comprised of four groups: press relations, publicity users,
publicity producers, and coordination and intelligence. However, senior
officials were unsure about their responsibilities which caused confusion
between departments. This led to resentment from the press who felt the
ministry was delaying access to news. In addition, the Ministry’s first
campaign “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution, Will Bring Us
Victory” was criticized for being class-bound. (The poster above is one of
three from this campaign). Others felt the ministry was over staffed and out of
touch with reality.
Three months after being sworn into office as the Minister
of Information, Lord McMillan was replaced by Sir John Reith. However, when
Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and Winston Churchill replaced him,
Reith was fired. A close ally of Churchill’s and critic of the previous
administration, Duff Cooper, was appointed. However, Mr. Cooper was quickly run
out of office amid complaints of Gestapo tactics.
Fortunately for the English people, the next appointee, Brendan
Bracken, an Irish-born businessman, remained in his position until the end of
the war. During his tenure, he managed to promote a closer working relationship
with other governmental departments. He also repaired relations with the press
when he maintained that the MOI should not hamper the right to free speech. He
also felt the ministry should be dissolved at the end of the war, stating that
its activities “made it inappropriate for peacetime.”
He got his wish. The MOI was dissolved in 1946.
A freelance writer for over ten years, Linda Shenton
Matchett writes historical fiction. Her novella Love’s Harvest is available on Amazon. She is currently seeking a
publisher for her series about WWII war correspondent Ruth Brown. Visit her at www.LindaShentonMatchett.com
