An Enemy in Your Midst - The Scrounger
A cartoon soldier in a steel helmet carries engine parts, with his limbs forming a swastika. Labels read 'Souvenir hunters', 'Hoarders', 'More than authorised kit' and 'Amateur mechanics', over the text 'By helping himself he is helping the enemy' and 'Stop him - he's dangerous!'. The tells are name-calling ('The Scrounger', 'an enemy in your midst') and transfer of the swastika onto a fellow serviceman.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Not stated; printing code '2920/PMEE/5000/4-42'
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Own forces
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- 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 (British wartime poster, imprint as stated in notes)
Not stated; printing code '2920/PMEE/5000/4-42'. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-71.
Text on the object
an Enemy in your midst SOUVENIR HUNTERS HOARDERS MORE THAN AUTHORISED KIT AMATEUR MECHANICS the Scrounger By "helping himself" he is helping the enemy. He stops TWO out of THREE of your vehicles from being repaired through loss of vital spares STOP HIM he's dangerous ! [imprint:] 2920/PMEE/5000 /4-42
