---
title: You Cannot Live Without Water (Water Saved Means Coal, Fuel, Oil, Gas and Electricity for Victory)
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/uk-you-cannot-live-without-water-avoid-waste-1939/
description: A British soldier in desert kit walks past wrecked vehicles beneath a giant hand turning off a running tap, with the quotation 'O for the water they waste
section: Collection
---

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3. You Cannot Live Without Water

[![You Cannot Live Without Water, 1939 UK poster: A British soldier in desert kit walks past wrecked vehicles beneath a giant](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/uk-you-cannot-live-without-water-avoid-waste-1939.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/uk-you-cannot-live-without-water-avoid-waste-1939.jpg)

# You Cannot Live Without Water (Water Saved Means Coal, Fuel, Oil, Gas and Electricity for Victory)

A British soldier in desert kit walks past wrecked vehicles beneath a giant hand turning off a running tap, with the quotation 'O for the water they waste in Britain'. The tell for transfer is the soldier and the blue V device lending front-line weight to household water use, and for glittering-generalities the claim that saved water 'means' coal, fuel, oil, gas and electricity 'for victory' with no figures.

## Propaganda techniques used in this poster

[Transfer](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/transfer/) [Glittering generalities](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/glittering-generalities/)

## Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
You cannot live
WITHOUT
WATER
"O FOR THE WATER THEY WASTE IN BRITAIN"

WATER SAVED MEANS COAL / FUEL / OIL AND / GAS / ELECTRICITY FOR VICTORY
(V device)

AVOID WASTE
It all depends on me
```

[← You Can Help to Build Me a Ship](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/uk-you-can-help-to-build-me-a-ship-1939/) [You Lose Miles of Rubber Every Time You Jam on Your Brakes! →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/uk-you-lose-miles-of-rubber-jam-on-brakes-1939/)

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