--- title: '''You Build ''Em We''ll Fight ''Em, Says Weyburn Officer'' (Canadian Department of Munitions and Supply)' url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/canada-you-build-em-well-fight-em-weyburn-1943/ description: A photograph of a young naval officer sits beneath a typed letter on Naval Service letterhead, addressed to the shipbuilders of HMCS Weyburn after her loss section: Collection --- 1. [Home](https://propagandaarchive.org/) 2. [Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/) 3. 'You Build 'Em We'll Fight 'Em, Says Weyburn Officer' [!['You Build 'Em We'll Fight 'Em, Says Weyburn Officer', 1943 Canada poster: A photograph of a young naval officer sits beneath](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/canada-you-build-em-well-fight-em-weyburn-1943.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/canada-you-build-em-well-fight-em-weyburn-1943.jpg) # 'You Build 'Em We'll Fight 'Em, Says Weyburn Officer' (Canadian Department of Munitions and Supply) A photograph of a young naval officer sits beneath a typed letter on Naval Service letterhead, addressed to the shipbuilders of HMCS Weyburn after her loss and asking them to build another. The named gunnery officer speaks directly to the workers as a first-hand witness (testimonial) in the informal language of a shared job (plain folks). ## Propaganda techniques used in this poster [Testimonial](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/testimonial/) [Plain folks](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/plain-folks/) ## Text on the object Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked ``` Department of National Defence Naval Service Ottawa, Canada. IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE N.S. TO THE MEN WHO BUILT H.M.C.S. WEYBURN I wonder just how you felt when they announced that H.M.C.S. Weyburn, the ship you built, had been lost in the Mediterranean. Perhaps I know. You recall, I am sure, the time and effort you spent in Weyburn's construction - the extra hours and trouble you put in making her "just so". You pictured her impressive launching ceremony and remember that bitter November day when she passed her acceptance trials and with a skeleton crew of naval officers and ratings headed down to the sea. From that day on you probably had little time to think of the Weyburn. You had other ships to build. For me it was different. You see, I was one on that skeleton crew and I sailed and fought with Weyburn until her end. I was the last man to abandon her and survive. You who built Weyburn and we the crew who sailed her found it hard to lose so gallant a ship. Against submarines in the North Atlantic and aircraft in the Med. she had certainly done her bit. But there is yet so much to do and we must have another ship in which to do it. Build us another ship now - one every bit as sturdy as the Weyburn. You know, we're a pretty good combination. You build 'em, we fight 'em. That's a partnership that Jerry is daily and painfully finding he can't beat. It's up to you and it's up to us. Let's get cracking! [signature:] P. S. Milsom Lieutenant, R.C.N.V.R. Gunnery Officer H.Q. 1010 500M--3-42 (3966) N.S. 815-7-1010 MEMO WE BUILT FOR H.M.C.S. WEYBURN You build 'em we'll fight 'em SAYS WEYBURN OFFICER THIS MESSAGE IS ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MUNITION AND SUPPLY FOR CANADA ``` [← We're Ganging-up on the U-Boats](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/canada-were-ganging-up-on-the-u-boats-1943/) ["Your Guns, Tanks and Universal Carriers Are Helping Red Army Win" →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/canada-your-guns-tanks-carriers-helping-red-army-win-1943/) ## More propaganda examples that use the same techniques - [Behistun (Bisotun) rock relief and trilingual inscription of Darius I: the king, two attendants and the bound rebel leaders beneath the winged figure of Ahuramazda](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/behistun-relief-darius-and-rebels-521bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Card stacking, Name-calling, Testimonial). Content note: Shows bound captives before the king, and the inscription records the mutilation and public execution of rebel leaders, as the king's own account. - [Tomb of Darius I at Naqsh-e Rustam: the king in relief beside his inscription DNa, c. 490 BCE](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/dna-inscription-darius-i-naqsh-e-rustam-490bce/) (Achaemenid Empire · 0000 · Testimonial, Card stacking) - [Seated limestone statue of Hatshepsut as king, with feminine royal titles on the throne, reassembled from fragments broken up at Deir el-Bahri](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/hatshepsut-seated-statue-limestone-met-1458bce/) (New Kingdom Egypt · 0000 · Transfer, Testimonial) - [Bronze sestertius of Gaius (Caligula), reverse S P Q R P P OB CIVES SERVATOS in an oak wreath](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/sestertius-caligula-ob-cives-servatos-0037/) (Roman Empire · 0037 · Testimonial, Transfer) - [Bronze sestertius of Trajan, reverse S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, S C, the emperor on horseback riding down an enemy](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/sestertius-trajan-optimo-principi-0103/) (Roman Empire · 0103 · Testimonial, Glittering generalities) - [Seljuq gold dinar of Sanjar, dated 493 AH, with the Abbasid caliph named on one face](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/seljuq-gold-dinar-sanjar-caliph-name-1099/) (Great Seljuk Empire · 1099 · Testimonial) - [Estoire d'Eracles page with Bernard of Clairvaux preaching the Second Crusade in the initial (Walters W.137, fol. 180v)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/eracles-bernard-preaching-second-crusade-w137-1275/) (France · 1275 · Testimonial) - [Opening page of the Estoire d'Eracles (William of Tyre in French), with the Crucifixion and Pope Urban II preaching the First Crusade in the initial (Walters W.137, fol. 1r)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/eracles-urban-ii-preaching-first-crusade-w137-1275/) (France · 1275 · Testimonial, Transfer)