Keep a Guard on What You Say..
A stylised head with wide eyes and an open mouth frames a small white soldier with a rifle standing in an orange doorway where the mouth would be, under the headline 'Keep a guard on what you say..'. The pun on 'guard' implies that careless talk puts a sentry's life at stake (fear appeal by implied consequence).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Abram Games (artist; signed 'A. Games R.E.'), printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Fosh & Cross Ltd, London
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Themes
- Security and surveillance, 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)
UK government poster printed for H.M. Stationery Office; Abram Games (artist; signed 'A. Games R.E.'), printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Fosh & Cross Ltd, London. Via US National Archives (NAID 44266718, 44-PF-255).
Text on the object
KEEP A GUARD ON WHAT YOU SAY.. A. GAMES R.E. PRINTED FOR H.M STATIONERY OFFICE BY FOSH & CROSS LTD. LONDON (51/1066) PR 2.42
