O God Our Help... We lift our living nation a single sword to thee
A black hand grips a short sword upright before a pale cross, with the words 'O God our help...' and 'We lift our living nation a single sword to thee'. The tell for transfer is the borrowing of the cross and a hymn-like line to give the war effort religious authority; the tell for glittering-generalities is the unspecified, sacred-sounding appeal.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ministry of Information, printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Lowe & Brydone Printers 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
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, Religion
- 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 Information / H.M. Stationery Office; printed by Lowe & Brydone Printers Ltd., c. 1939-1945. U.S. National Archives, RG 44.
Text on the object
O GOD OUR HELP... WE LIFT OUR LIVING NATION A SINGLE SWORD TO THEE ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND PRINTED FOR H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE BY LOWE & BRYDONE PRINTERS LTD., LONDON, N.W.10 51-2627
