Switch Off - Stop It - Turn Off - Save Fuel for Battle!
Four panels show a workman painting wall-size slogans ('Power eats fuel - switch off', 'Steam swallows fuel - stop it', 'Heat devours fuel - turn off') and then leaving in the dark after a 'blue-pencil lights' joke. The tell for transfer is the closing slogan 'Save fuel for battle!', which ties ordinary switching-off to the fighting forces.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1942
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Ministry of Fuel and Power (printed for His Majesty's 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, 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 (printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office by Stafford & Co. Ltd, Netherfield, Nottingham), c. 1939-1945 (NARA, RG 44 World War II Foreign Posters, NAID 44266929).
Text on the object
POWER EATS FUEL-SWITCH OFF WHEN YOU'RE NOT USING IT! STEAM SWALLOWS FUEL-STOP IT FROM LEAKING OR ESCAPING HEAT DEVOURS FUEL-TURN OFF WHEN YOU DON'T NEED IT ! -and don't forget to switch-out the blue-pencil lights! SAVE FUEL FOR BATTLE! Printed for H.M. Stationery Office by Stafford & Co., Ltd., Netherfield, Nottingham. 51-4556 ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF FUEL AND POWER
