Poster

The Underground Group, and later London Transport, produced a wide variety of public information posters during the First (1914-18) and Second (1939-45) World Wars. The majority of wartime posters advised staff and passengers on emergency rules and regulations. Others were more overtly patriotic, often focussing on the valuable war work undertaken by transport employees. Some First World War Underground posters even urged onlookers to enlist with the armed forces. During the Second World War, posters were also used to explain tube 'etiquette' to the vast numbers of war workers and servicemen using the underground for the first time.
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Wartime conditions called for new posters advising passengers on changes to the transport system. Hans Schleger ('Zero'), James Fitton and David Langdon produced designs during the Second World War concerning the blackout, air raids and anti-blast window netting on buses and tubes. Other regulations related to the threat of gas attack and the use of public transport to evacuate children and others from the city.
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LT's war posters used modern design to convey essential information to passengers and staff. Thoughtful passenger behaviour was encouraged in the humorous cartoons of Fougasse and David Langdon. More direct appeals for co-operation, or advice on sheltering and the 'blackout' were expressed in easy to read layouts. Other posters celebrated LT's contribution to the war effort and London's resilience. These included the striking series of images produced by Fred Taylor (1942), Walter Spradbery (1944) and Eric Kennington (1944).
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The deep tubes were first used as air raid shelters in the First World War. The posters shown here are all from the Second World War. They include instructions on how to reserve a space, rules of behaviour, and details of refreshments provided by LT. The 'cockney crossword' poster provides answers to a puzzle issued to shelterers on the back of an earlier safety leaflet
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