'For Talking of Troop and Ship Movements Penalty Death for your Comrades', 1944

Lithograph poster designed by Abram Games (1914-1996), printed by Lowe and Brydone Printers Limited, London, for HM Stationery Office, 1944.

This poster, with its stark message and simple design, is typical of Games' work. A re-working of the 'Careless talk costs lives' campaign, it warns that any indiscretion by military personnel could result in the death of their comrades.

This poster, designed to look like an 'official' notice, was printed just before the Normandy landings in June 1944. It was circulated amongst the units preparing for the Allied liberation of Europe. It was an amazing achievement that, despite the scale of the operation, when the second front was opened on D-Day, the Germans were taken by surprise.

From a collection of 45 posters from World War Two (1939-1945).