Read and heed! Boom water sports by being careful
Text-only Red Cross water-safety sheet under a red cross emblem: eleven numbered-style rules for bathers, swimmers, campers and canoeists. The technique is faint here; it is a plain list of safety advice that presents only the rules and omits any counter-case.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- American National Red Cross
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- NGO
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- Health
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 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 Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
American National Red Cross. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1614 (NAID 515279).
Text on the object
Bathers Swimmers Campers Canoeists READ AND HEED! When enjoying health-giving water sports, always observe a code of safe conduct. Avoid long swims after a season of inactivity; train gradually. Take a boat along for distance swimming. Every community needs a safe swimming place provided with simple equipment, where regulations can be enforced. Regular hours for bathing under competent supervision should be observed. Swimming is the first water sport to learn; it makes the others safe. After eating, wait at least two hours before swimming to avoid dangerous stomach cramps. Failure to look before diving causes many deaths. Be sure the water is at least eight feet deep, and free from hidden stumps and rocks. Every swimmer needs a water buddy to help him, or give the alarm in case of accident. Don't swim alone. The prone pressure method is a most effective means of reviving a drowning person. Do not wait for a doctor or machine---go to work at once. You can help the cause of water safety by observing sane regulations and teaching them to others. Boom Water Sports by Being Careful Ask Your Local Red Cross Chapter About Water Safety, Rescue and Resuscitation Methods THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS [imprint: POSTER 1006]
