A Gunner of the Fleet Air Arm
A close portrait photograph of a young air gunner in flying kit with a machine gun over his shoulder, over text giving Fleet Air Arm raid and sinking totals. The tell for card stacking is the cumulative totals given with no losses or denominator; the portrait presents one named-type individual as the face of the service.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- British government 'For Freedom' picture series (no issuing department or printer named on the sheet)
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Mixed
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- War and the military
- Event
- World War II
- 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 'For Freedom' series (issuer not named on sheet). National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-172p.
Text on the object
A GUNNER OF THE FLEET AIR ARM YOUNG FLYERS, like this air gunner, have rendered fine service in the Fleet Air Arm. In three years they have made over 260 raids on shore objectives, over 120 attacks on warships and convoys at sea and over 200 on warships and ships in harbour. The Fleet Air Arm have also been successful in sinking, or seriously damaging, 45 warships and 335,000 tons of enemy shipping. Their activities have ranged from the North coast of Norway in the Arctic Circle to Madagascar. [emblem:] FOR FREEDOM [sheet mark:] E.D.5.
