Notice: Rags, Rope and String Must Not Be Destroyed, Thrown Away or Mixed With Refuse
A text-only legal notice under the royal arms cites a Ministry of Supply order of 9 July 1942 and bans destroying or discarding rags, rope and string. The tell is the line 'Any person disregarding this Order is liable to prosecution', which makes compliance a legal duty backed by a penalty.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ministry of Supply (Salvage of Waste Materials Order No. 3), printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office by C. & E. Layton Ltd, London
- 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, Economy and finance
- 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
- Public domain (UK Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired before 1996; no URAA restoration)
Ministry of Supply / HMSO, printed by C. & E. Layton Ltd; U.S. National Archives, NAID 44266829 (44-PF-307).
Text on the object
NOTICE Under the Salvage of Waste Materials Order No. 3 made by the Minister of Supply S.R.O. 1942/No.1360, dated 9th July, 1942 RAGS ROPE AND STRING MUST NOT BE DESTROYED THROWN AWAY OR MIXED WITH REFUSE Any person disregarding this Order is liable to prosecution Every scrap of fibrous material and waste rope and string not required for essential domestic or other purposes should be disposed of for salvage except any fabric, material or article which is injurious to health or otherwise offensive S. & R.B. 82 Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by C. & E. Layton Ltd., London, E.C.4 51-2598
