![]() ![]() ![]() In the end home secretary Samuel Hoare decided on three posters, among them Keep Calm And Carry On, which were ready by the end of August 1939 – a month before war was declared. The MP Harold Nicolson, who was married to poet and novelist Rita Sackville-West, is known to have been heavily involved in the propaganda planning along with Professor John Hilton, formerly an academic at Cambridge University. Keep Calm was just one of the slogans in the mix.” The reality is that many people can claim the credit rather than any individual. It’s known that the artist was probably Charles Wallcousins, who had previously designed posters for London Transport, but Dr Lewis says: “The slogans would have passed through various committees for fine-tuning. However, despite extensive research, the identity of the precise creator remains a mystery. Don’t Panic”.Ĭorporal Jones from Dad’s Army would not have approved of that original ending being cut but somewhere along the line there was a change of mind and the poster got its “And Carry On” ending. The original message was going to be, “Keep Calm. That was the backdrop to Keep Calm And Carry On but the slogan began life in a different form. Mass air raids and gas attacks were expected, claiming many lives in British cities. Confidence in ultimate success would be dented and there might be a lack of will to work for victory. However, it is wonderful to think that all these years later people still find it so appealing and reassuring in our modern times.Ĭheck out our collection and order a reprint of the original design or make your own Keep Calm Poster with our Keep Calm Generator.“The Ministry had to assume that the public would be subjected to an unbearable series of shocks, resulting in shattered nerves, and would need reassuring. Sadly no record remains of the unknown Civil Servant who originally came up with the simple and quintessential Britishness of the Keep Calm and Carry On message. You can read more about the auction by clicking here. It was purchased at an auction of wartime memorabilia and which our products are a replication of. We too own one of a handful of the original posters that remains in existence. A small number also remain in the National Archives and the Imperial War Museum in London, and a further 15 were discovered in the BBC's Antiques Roadshow to have been given to Moragh Turnbull, from Cupar, Fife, by her father William, who served as a member of the Royal Observer Corps. However, nearly 60 years later, a bookseller from Barter Books stumbled across a copy hidden amongst a pile of dusty old books bought from an auction. It is believed that most of the Keep Calm posters were destroyed and reduced to a pulp at the end of the war in 1945. As this never happened, the poster was never officially seen by the public. The plan in place for this poster was to issue it only upon the invasion of Britain by Germany. The third and final poster of the set was again very straightforward and to the point - it simply read ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. These two were posted on public transport, in shop windows, upon notice boards and hoardings across Britain. The first two posters, ‘Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory’ and ‘Freedom is in Peril’ were produced by His Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO). With a bold coloured background, the posters were required to be similar in style and feature the symbolic crown of King George VI along with a simple yet effective font. In late 1939 after the outbreak of the war, the MOI was appointed by the British Government to design a number of morale boosting posters that would be displayed across the British Isles during the testing times that lay ahead. ![]() The Ministry of Information was formed by the British Government as the department responsible for publicity and propaganda during the Second World War. So what is this Keep Calm and Carry On thing all about then? ![]()
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