The Man Who Wasted Gas! Don't Be Fuel-ish
A cartoon shows a wizened man beside a flaring gas ring while three workmates point at him in anger. The pun 'Don't be fuel-ish' labels waste as foolishness, and the closing line ties saved gas to 'the weapons we need for victory'.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ministry of Fuel and Power, printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Stafford & Co., Ltd., Netherfield, Nottingham; artist H. M. Bateman
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Churchill Government
- Leader
- Winston Churchill
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- 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)
Ministry of Fuel and Power / H.M. Stationery Office; artist H. M. Bateman; US National Archives, WWII Foreign Posters (NARA 44266412).
Text on the object
THE MAN WHO WASTED GAS! DON'T BE FUEL-ISH WASTED GAS MEANS LESS FUEL TO MAKE THE WEAPONS WE NEED FOR VICTORY Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Stafford & Co., Ltd., Netherfield, Nottm. 51-3169 Issued by the Ministry of Fuel and Power. [signature:] H.M. BATEMAN
