'Back Room Boys' They Also Serve
A London Transport poster in the 'Back Room Boys' series shows a pencil drawing of buses in a depot above a green text panel describing staff who prepare railways, buses, trams and coaches for 'moving London's millions to and from their jobs'. The tell is the virtue phrase 'They also serve' and the praise of unseen staff 'keeping the wheels turning' (glittering generalities, plain-folks); it states no figures and names no enemy.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- London Passenger Transport Board (London Transport); artist Fred Taylor; printed by The Baynard Press
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Corporation
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Reassure
- Themes
- Labor, Home front
- 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; UK wartime publication (1939-1945), hosted by owner decision
London Passenger Transport Board; artist Fred Taylor; The Baynard Press, National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-461d.
Text on the object
'BACK ROOM BOYS' Day and night throughout the year work goes on preparing the Railways Buses, Trams and Coaches for their daily task of moving London's millions to and from their jobs The staff employed are the 'BACK ROOM BOYS' who working behind the scenes help to keep the wheels turning 'THEY ALSO SERVE' LONDON TRANSPORT FRED TAYLOR THE BAYNARD PRESS
