British Railroads Give Priority to Troops and War Workers
A black-and-white information sheet sets 'Pre-war' against 'Now' panels: 17,500 summer excursions replaced by 1,000 extra workers' trains a day and 3,000 troop trains a month, and restaurant cars cut from 700 to 70. A 71,000,000-mile cut is converted into 22,376 New York to San Francisco journeys; the tell is the selection of sacrifice figures, with no totals for traffic carried.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- British Information Services, New York (British government information agency in the United States)
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- Home front, War and the military
- 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)
British Information Services, New York, c. 1939-1945. U.S. National Archives, RG 44.
Text on the object
British Railroads give priority to Troops and war workers PRE-WAR EXCU[RSIONS] 17,500 half-day and evening excursions during the summer NOW NO EXCURSIONS INSTEAD - 1,000 EXTRA trains a day for war workers 3,000 special troop trains every month British Pre-war Passenger Train mileage CUT by 71,000,000 miles SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK 3,173 MILES This cut of 71,000,000 miles is equal to a reduction of 22,376 rail journeys from New York to San Francisco Restaurant Cars on British Trains PRE-WAR 700 NOW 70 G.P.G. AM. 10 BRITISH INFORMATION SERVICES 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York City
