2 out of 3 Britons mobilised for war

A map of Britain filled with black and shaded human figures sits under the headline '2 out of 3 Britons mobilised for war', with a boxed quotation of the Minister of Labour: 22 of 33 million aged 14 to 65 mobilised. The bandwagon tell is the headline and the figure-filled map, which present mobilisation as what most people have already done.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Bandwagon

Date

1942

Period

Second World War

Made by

British government (issuer not named); printed in England by W. R. Royle & Son Ltd.

Region

Western and Central Europe

Country

United Kingdom

Medium

Poster

Issuer type

State

Regime

Churchill Government

Leader

Winston Churchill

Audience

Domestic public

Purpose

Mobilize or secure compliance

Themes

Home front, Labor

Event

World War II

Regime

Churchill wartime government

Leader

Winston Churchill

Source

Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are

Source

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026

Rights

Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
British government (issuer not named); printed in England by W. R. Royle & Son Ltd.. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-400k.

2 out of 3 Britons
mobilised
for war

Black figures mobilised manpower
Shaded figures include voluntary and part-time war workers

Of 33 millions
in the United Kingdom
aged between 14 and 65,
22 millions
-two persons out of three-
have been mobilised for
armed service or for full-
time work in connection
with the war.
   This in addition to the
millions who are doing
part-time work or giving
voluntary unpaid service.
BRITISH MINISTER OF LABOUR
May 21, 1942. House of Commons.

[imprint:] G.P.G./AU./5.  Printed in England by W. R. Royle & Son Ltd. 51-2969