Lend to Defend His Right to be Free - Buy National Savings Certificates
A painted boy in a white shirt rests his cheek on his hand beside a Meccano-style crane he is building. The slogan 'Lend to Defend His Right to be Free' attaches the abstract value 'right to be free' to the purchase of National Savings Certificates and shows no detail of what the money buys.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- His Majesty's Stationery Office for the National Savings movement; artist Tom Purvis; printer 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
- Fundraise
- Themes
- Economy and finance, 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
- Public domain (UK Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired before 1996; no URAA restoration)
His Majesty's Stationery Office; artist Tom Purvis; printed by Fosh & Cross Ltd. U.S. National Archives, NAID 44266750.
Text on the object
TOM PURVIS LEND TO DEFEND HIS RIGHT TO BE FREE BUY NATIONAL SAVINGS CERTIFICATES PRINTED FOR H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE BY FOSH & CROSS LTD., LONDON (51/5819)
