A Message from the First Lord of the Admiralty A. V. Alexander (It's Up to Us!)
A reproduced typed letter on Admiralty letterhead, with a photograph of the signatory and red underlining, thanks Canadian shipbuilding and asks for more escort output, under the slogan 'It's up to us!'. The tell for testimonial is the named First Lord's signed endorsement of the effort; the tell for transfer is the Admiralty crest and letterhead lending official weight to the production request.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Not printed; reproduces a letter on British Admiralty letterhead (A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty) to a Canadian shipbuilder
- Region
- North America
- Country
- Canada
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Mackenzie King Government
- Leader
- William Lyon Mackenzie King
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, Labor, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- 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
Issuer not printed (letter by A. V. Alexander, British Admiralty). National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-563.
Text on the object
A Message from the First Lord of the Admiralty A. V. Alexander [letterhead:] ADMIRALTY WHITEHALL 16th Marc[h] Dear Mr. Carmichael, Before you return to Canada I should like you to know how extremely grateful we are for the magnificent shipbuilding effort which Canada has put forward in this war. In particular your corvette production has been invaluable and in the hands of the Royal Canadian Navy they have played a very considerable part in the battle of the United Nations against the U-boats. In spite of all that has been done in Canada, the U.S.A. and in this country the escort position as you know remains extremely serious and the need for additional ocean-going anti-submarine escorts is both very great and very urgent. [underlined in red:] Anything therefore that you can do to speed up or expand the output of escorts in Canada will be a first class contribution to the problems that face the United Nations at the present time. We always look to Canada not only with the deep gratitude I have already mentioned, but also with confidence inspired by your fine achievements in the construction of ships. Believe me, Yours very sincerely, [signature] A. V. Alexander [addressee, partly covered:] [?]. J. Carmichael, Esq. IT'S UP TO US!
