In the Blackout be Sure the Bus or Tram has Stopped
A stylised illustration shows a shoe stepping from a vehicle platform into black shadow, under the headline 'In the Blackout' and the instruction to be sure the bus or tram has stopped. The tell is the staged image of a misstep in the dark, which conveys a risk of injury so that the reader follows the safety instruction.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- London Transport (roundel); artist Hans Schleger ('Zero'); 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
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- 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; hosted by owner decision (British wartime print, London Transport roundel)
London Transport; artist Hans Schleger (Zero); printed by The Baynard Press. National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-238.
Text on the object
IN THE BLACKOUT Be sure the bus or tram has stopped [signature:] ZERO [imprint:] 948.1795.1500. The Baynard Press.
