Victory Delayed

A painting by Laura Knight shows a factory fire, with a worker climbing from a burning vessel and a fire extinguisher in use at right. The caption carries a message from the artist asking war workers to be careful with smoking, naked lights and electrical equipment: the scene supplies the fear (fear-appeal) and the named artist the endorsement (testimonial).

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Fear appealTestimonial

Date

1939

Period

Second World War

Made by

H.M. Stationery Office (printed by J. Weiner, Ltd., London); artist Dame Laura Knight

Region

Western and Central Europe

Country

United Kingdom

Medium

Poster

Issuer type

State

Regime

Churchill Government

Leader

Winston Churchill

Audience

Domestic public

Purpose

Warn or inform

Themes

Home front, Health

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

Public domain (UK Crown copyright, 50 years from publication, expired before 1996; no URAA restoration)
H.M. Stationery Office; artist Dame Laura Knight; printed by J. Weiner, Ltd., c. 1939-1945. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 44267327).

VICTORY DELAYED

A MESSAGE FROM DAME LAURA KNIGHT, R.A.

"I dedicate this picture to all men and women engaged in every kind of vital war production, whose carefulness in smoking and in the use of naked lights and electrical equipment largely ensures that the sort of scene I have painted above shall not happen. . . . Good luck to you all."

Laura Knight

PRINTED FOR H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE BY J. WEINER LTD., LONDON, W.C.1. 51-3814