Cut Your Gas and Electricity: They Both Come from Coal

British Second World War poster designed to emphasise the need for people on the home front to reduce electricity and gas consumption owing to its dependence on the use of coal. Posters such as this one were common in the Second World War and gave those on the home front the sense of unity in their also playing a role in the overall war effort. Coal was one of the items that was used by just about everyone from every walk of life and by limiting its use domestically, it meant that more could be used in the production of essential war goods. This particular poster shows a butter knife cutting through a piece of coal shaped vagued as a block of butter. This particular iconography further relates to the connection with the home front.

This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government.