The Man Who Would Not Close the Doors - Don't Be Fuel-ish
A cartoon shows a cowering man in a gale of litter between two open barn-style doors while three co-workers point and glare at him. The tell is social shaming: the wasteful individual is the target, and the pun 'Fuel-ish' recasts wasting fuel as foolishness, with the closing line tying wasted power to fewer weapons for victory.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ministry of Fuel and Power; artist H. M. Bateman; printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Stafford & Co., Ltd., Netherfield, Nottingham
- 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, 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)
Ministry of Fuel and Power; item from the US National Archives, WWII Foreign Posters (NARA 44266410).
Text on the object
THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT CLOSE THE DOORS DON'T BE FUEL-ISH WASTED POWER MEANS LESS FUEL TO MAKE THE WEAPONS WE NEED FOR VICTORY Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Stafford & Co., Ltd., Netherfield, Nottm. 51-3195 Issued by the Ministry of Fuel and Power. [signature in the drawing:] H.M. BATEMAN
