Seeing it Through [1] (Thank you, Mrs. Porter)

A woman railway porter in uniform raises a hand beside an Underground train, with a verse by A. P. Herbert thanking 'Mrs. Porter' for her work. Plain folks: an ordinary worker is honoured by name; the verse calls the enemy 'the Hun' (name-calling) and praises voices that stay calm under air raids ('How calm the voices are'), a glittering generality of steadiness.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Plain folksName-callingGlittering generalities

Date

1944

Period

Second World War

Made by

London Transport; artist Eric Henri Kennington ('EHK 44'); verse by A. P. Herbert; printed by The Baynard Press

Region

Western and Central Europe

Country

United Kingdom

Medium

Poster

Issuer type

Corporation

Regime

Churchill Government

Leader

Winston Churchill

Audience

Domestic public

Purpose

Commemorate

Themes

Home front, Labor, Gender and suffrage

Event

World War II

Regime

Churchill wartime government

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

Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
London Transport; artist Eric Henri Kennington; verse by A. P. Herbert; printed by The Baynard Press, National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-384a.

SEEING IT THROUGH

Thank you, Mrs. Porter,
For a good job stoutly done:
Your voice is clear, and the Hun can hear
When you cry "South Kensington!"

The world must hurry homeward,
The soldier on his way,
And the wheels whizz round on the Underground
At the voice of the girls in grey.

And though the skies are noisy
How calm the voices are-
"Upminster train! That man again!
Pass further down the car!"
A. P. Herbert

[signature:] EHK 44
[imprint:] 144-119 S-1500. 42625-THE BAYNARD PRESS