At times you don't know what you say

Australian propaganda posters during the Second World War were used to instil anti-Japanese attitudes. Using racial stereotypes and derogatory humour the posters harboured fear and caution amongst Australian society. Original drawing for an Australian Second World War poster warning servicemen against careless talk about military operations. A Japanese spy listens from behind a wall to a conversation between two Australian soldiers. This drawing may or may not have been published as a poster.

Cartoonist Tony Rafty enlisted with the Commonwealth Military Forces on 29 December 1941, and was transferred to the Australian Infantry Forces six months later. In early 1943 while recovering at a hospital in Darwin, Rafty’s drawings were noticed by the Director General of Medical Services and he was brought to the attention of Lieutenant Colonel Treloar. He was later transferred to the Military History Section in Melbourne to begin work as an official war cartoonist. This poster is most likely part of his commission for the Military History Section. Rafty has become a prolific Australian cartoonist and in 1990 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for Cartooning in the media.