Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New exhibition highlights the man behind classic D-Day posters

Post Thumbnail

The build-up to D-Day was shrouded in secrecy as the Allies’ attempts to launch a pivotal offensive in 1944 could only succeed if the Germans had no idea about their plans.

Abram Games was the official war poster artist during the conflict and his striking images reflected the message that careless talk would not only cost lives, but could jeopardise the whole campaign against Hitler.

Installed in the War Office public relations directorate in 1941, Mr Games – a proud soldier and staunch socialist – was employed to create works that delivered important messages to soldiers and civilians alike.

While all his wartime posters were of equal relevance, some of the most distinctive were those which communicated the impact of idle chatter about operational matters, such as his warning to those who engaged in gossip about D-Day.

Abram Games’ posters are being highlighted in a new exhibition. Pic: National Army Museum.

Authorised and printed on May 26, 1944, the famous poster appeared across barracks in the final few days before the Normandy Landings on June 6.

It provided a stark reminder that disclosing secrets could imperil one of the war’s most significant operations and, equally, that ‘you’ might be responsible for the death of your comrades.

Mr Games died in 1996 but his daughter, Naomi, speaking on behalf of The Estate of Abram Games, said yesterday she is thrilled her father’s efforts were gaining recognition.

She added: “We are delighted that our father’s war work will be exhibited at the National Army Museum in Chelsea until November 24.

“He was proud to be a Londoner and a member of the British Army. It is fitting that the work of the only ever War Poster Artist is exhibited at the museum.”

This was one of Abram Games’ most distinctive wartime posters. Pic: National Army Museum.

The full body of his wartime work is on display in The Art of Persuasion, which presents more than 100 posters Games created during his employment as an artist for the Public Relations Department at the War Office, from 1941 until 1945.

The exhibition explores how his Jewish refugee heritage, experiences as a soldier and the turbulent politics of wartime Britain shaped the career of a man who continues to influence design industry professionals today.

It will include a diverse range of posters from the museum’s collection alongside loans from the estate of Abram Games.

This is one of Abram Games’ most striking wartime posters.

His painting smock and palette, airbrush and school report will be displayed alongside the sealed pattern of his cap badge design for the Royal Armoured Corps and his iconic posters: ‘Join the ATS (‘the blonde bombshell’)’, ‘Your talk may kill your comrades’, and ‘Your Britain: fight for it now’.

Justin Maciejewski, director of the National Army Museum, said: ‘The work of Abram Games as a graphic designer and British soldier in support of the causes of freedom and social justice during the Second World War is remarkable and inspiring.

“We are proud to be showing the full body of his work as the Army’s poster designer.”

Tickets for the exhibition can be booked at www.nam.ac.uk.