Advertising and Propaganda in World War II : Cultural Identity and the Blitz Spirit

For the most part, the companies whose advertisements I wanted to use and reproduce in this book have been most cooperative and generous in their permissions as outlined here. B.S.A. Bicycles advertisements appear with thanks to Raleigh UK Ltd.; D.D.D. Prescription advertisement reproduced with the permission of the brand owner , D.D.D. Limited; Guinness with the consent of Diageo plc.; Homesun Lamps thanks to Halma p.l.c.; and, Horlicks appears thanks to GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. The HP word, flag device and sauce brand associated trademarks, and are owned by HP Foods Limited and are used with permission. Miner's Liquid Make-up appears thanks to Paul Murray Plc. Rosebank Fabrics was acquired by Arthur Sanderson in 1964 and these advertisements appear courtesy of Arthur Sanderson & Sons. Advertisements for Creamola Custard Puddings and Vita-Gravy appear with the consent of Symington's Limited; those of Wincarnis Tonic Wine courtesy of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix Ian Macleod Distillers Limited. In numerous other cases it has not been possible to establish the current holder of some of these brands despite extensive research. In all cases every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The author apologizes for any errors or omissions in the above list and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book. The financial support of the Royal Historical Society has been gratefully received. Their generosity facilitated many of my travel expenses when working in archives and enabled me to attend conferences that have greatly benefited my research. Similarly , great gratitude is expressed to Professor Phillip Schofield and all associated with the The Blitz- the period of Nazi bombing campaigns on civilian Britain during World War II- was a formative period for British national identity. In this groundbreaking book, David Clampin looks at the images, campaigns and slogans which helped to form the fabled ‘Blitz spirit’- powerfully echoed in Winston Churchill’s speeches. Because advertisers attempted to capitalise on war-time patriotism, Clampin’s unique focus on advertising provides a visually rich seam of new information on the everyday war, and makes an enormous contribution to the debate on people’s experiences of war and nationalism. Using a remarkable and hitherto unseen range of primary source material-advertisements in the press, slogans and posters-this work will reshape the contested meanings of the ‘Home Front’, opening up cultural history discourses on gender and nationalism. Advertising and Propaganda in World War II is essential reading for historians of World War II as well as students and scholars of Media Studies and Communication Studies. Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements Preface Introduction 1. The Place of Commercial Advertising in Wartime Britain 2. War Begins at Home 3. Instruction and Direction 4. Fighting the War via Consumption 5. Gender Identities through the War 6. Defining the Postwar World Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index