(Above) Poster produced for British Railways (BR) to publicise the war effort. The passenger train on the left gives way to the one on the right which is loaded with cannons.
To mark the 64th anniversary of VE Day on April 8 2009 the National Railway Museum have put together this fascinating online exhibition of wartime posters held in their "search Engine" archive to illustrate the crucial role of the railways during World War Two.
Below you can browse these stunning and rarely seen posters together with a commentary that explains the rail story of World War Two.
As the nation approaches the annual anniversary of VE Day on May 8 2009, visitors to the National Railway Museum can view the rail story of the Second World War through the Museum's priceless collection of railway posters.
Right from the outset of the war, railways were the mainstay of the internaltransport system, proving harder to bomb and easier to repair than alternative modes of transport. During one weekend in September 1939 more than 1,300,000 children were evacuated from the cities to the countryside in 3,000 special trains.
The following year the evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk saw more than 600 special trains transporting around 319,000 troops from Dover to camps and hospitals throughout Britain.
British Railways
War resulted in a major reorganisation of the railway industry in Britain. From theoutbreak of hostilities in September 1939, control of the railways was passed to theRailway Executive Committee.
With the state uniting and controlling the operations of the "big four" companies during the war years, the title British Railways was used for the first time and this stayed in circulation until privatisation in 1994. On the railway poster hoardings, space was created for notices issued by the newlyformed Railway Executive Committee.
They took responsibility for running the network and giving information on urgent matters, including emergency timetables, ar-raid warnings and reduced services.
Stay at home
Once the Railway Executive Committee took control of the network, hoardings were immediately cleared of most advertising material relating to leisure travel. The holiday resorts on the southern coast were effectively closed because of the threat of invasion, and the railway industry geared up for its essential role as part of the war machine, moving men and material.
Station names were painted out to confuse the enemy in the event of invasion and there was a universal blackout removing all lighting which might attract bombers on night air raids.
By November 1939, the British railway network was seriously preparing for war. It was moving extra food supplies, equipment and troops essential for the logistics of conflict. The materials to build the new war factories, the raw materials to make the munitions of war and the men and women who fashioned them all had to be carried on the railways.
From June 1940, East Coast shipping was heavily cut back, and much of this freight was transferred onto the East Coast Main Line. On some sections, traffic rose by 500%.
The public were urged to spend their holidays at home, as the running of additionaltrains during the summer months and Bank Holidays were now a thing of the past.Travel for pleasure was discouraged throughout the war, as the railways were nowthe lifeline of both the military and public services.
"Stay Put This Summer", REC poster, 1939 - 1945. Poster produced for the Railway Executive Committee (REC) advising people to spend their holidays at home. Illustrated with photo of shells on beach, and below with photo of bomb shells. Printed by McCorquodale & Co Ltd, London.
Railway Executive Committee poster. 'There isn't even half an engine to spare for unnecessary journeys - so Stay Put this Summer' by Reginald Mayes.
"This British Engine used to pull Holiday Trains to Blackpool", REC poster, 1939 - 1945. Poster produced for the Railway Executive Committee (REC) to explain to passengers that fewer trains were available to them due to increased demand for the transportation of war supplies. Printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd, London & Dunstable
Although many railwaymen were excluded from military service because railway work was a "reserved occupation", essential to the war effort, many joined the armed forces and their jobs were filled by women recruits.
Most of the poster campaigns now instructed the public to recognise the importance of the railways to the war effort. It was "Another Mechanised Army" that kept the country on track for victory.
British Railways poster 1939 - 1945. "Another Mechanised Army" by 'M'
Poster produced during World War II to remind people that the railways were as indispensible to the war effort as guns, shells and bombs. Passengers had to be patient during wartime when trains were fewer in frequency and often delayed and crowded. Artwork by Fred Taylor (1875-1963), who exhibited at the Royal Academy and other London galleries and worked for the Empire Marketing Board, LNER, London Transport and several shipping companies
"Lines of Communication", BR poster, 1939 - 1945, produced for British Railways (BR) to publicise how vital the railways were to the war effort. 50,000 miles of railways provided vital links in the chain of national defence for public services, essential supplies, ammunition and service movements. BR also wanted to remind people that the transportation infrastructure was still intact. Artwork by unknown artist
The heroism of the workers, which kept the railways on track despite the challengesposed by enemy bombardment, also had to be recognised, and the Railway Executive Committee produced artwork which celebrated the railway industry's efforts on behalf of the nation.
Even the locomotives themselves were often celebrated as heroes – one old locomotive named Victoria was credited with bringing down an enemy aircraft as its boiler exploded during the attack and caused the plane to crash.
Day in, Day Out...Night in, Night Out. British Railways operate 20,000 British built locomotives in the service of Nation and Public, BR poster, circa 1940s. Poster produced for British Railways (BR) to promote their work for the nation during the war, and showing train wheel with text below. Printed by Staffords, Netherfield
Poster produced for the Railway Executive Committee to remind people that "over [sic] half a million railwaymen are maintaining a vital national service". During wartime passengers had to be patient when trains were fewer in frequency, and were often delayed and crowded. Artwork by an unknown artist
Railway workers were also regularly reminded of their importance to the war effort. They had to soldier on no matter what the weather threw at them as the whole nation depended on the maintenance of the railway lines.
The speed at which they worked was of utmost importance, as the restoration of the transport network after an enemy attack was paramount. Among the achievements of the railways' rapid repair organisations was the renewal of main line tracks within a few hours and the restoration of damaged bridges in a day.
And Still the Railwaymen Carried On!, World War II poster, 1939 - 1945, showing four photographs of trains carrying on despite severe winter weather conditions. Artwork by an unknown artist
Keep 'em Moving, produced for the Ministry of Transport during World War II to remind railway workers that due to a shortage of wagons, they must speed up loading and unloading in order to keep all the wagons moving. Artwork by Folkard-Robert
The Railway Committee's other objective was to cut down on unnecessary public travel. The increasing diversion from road to rail to save fuel and rubber resulted in an unprecedented demand on the railway network.
The needs of the war had to come first, and priority had to be given to service movements and then to workers so they could travel to and from the factories.Posters prepared the public for delays and crowding, and reminded them that any discomfort caused to commuters was in aid of a greater cause.
Food, Shells and Fuel Must Come First, REC poster, 1939 - 1945. Poster produced for the Railway Executive Committee to remind passengers that the transportationof munitions of war had to take priority over civilian journeys. During wartime, passengers had to be patient when trains were infrequent, delayed and crowded. Artwork by an unknown artist.
'A Mighty War Effort', REC poster, 1939-1945, produced for the Railway Executive Committee (REC) during the Second World War. Between 1939 and 1945, two Flying Scotsman services were run in each direction, but passenger numbers were overwhelming. Officially the service operated to an eight-hour schedule, but withbombing and an overcrowded rail network, journeys could take 16 hours or more. As official propaganda put it, all you could do was ‘keep calm and carry on’.
Steps were also taken to increase passenger carrying capacity and discourage nonessential travel. Drastic travel restrictions were introduced in September 1942 to reduce all kinds of pleasure travel including the withdrawal of cheap day tickets and the Green Line Coach Service in the London area. Advertising campaigns asked the public to consider 'Is your journey really necessary?'
‘Is Your Journey Really Necessary?’, REC poster, 1939-1945 produced by the REC during World War II to remind passengers to avoid making unnecessary rail journeys during wartime. Artwork by Bert Thomas (1883-1966).
'Now that our men have landed on enemy soil - surely no one will endanger their supply of vital munitions by taking unnecessary journeys'. Poster produced for the REC to deter passengers from taking unnecessary journeys by train. Artwork by M . Printed by Jas Truscott & Son Ltd, London & Tonbridge.
Travel only when you Must - Coal & Food & Guns come first - Tracks are filled with War-Time Traffics'. Poster produced during World War II to convey the railways’ priority of transporting vital war supplies before normal passenger traffic.
During 1942, 400 million passenger journeys were made by the holders of Workmen's Tickets, an increase of 75 million over the previous year. At this point further initiatives were introduced to relieve the strain on the railways. Staggered working hours for businesses helped ease congestion from passengers on their way to work.
'Staggered Working Hours Shorten Queues’, World War II poster, 1945. When passenger trains were crowded and delayed due to the railways’ vital role in transporting servicemen and munitions of war. Artwork by Patrick Cokayne Keely (d 1970), who in addition to the railways, also designed posters for the British and Dutch governments.
Trains were not only overloaded with passengers, their luggage was also a factor someasures were taken to ensure the public travelled light.
Railway Executive Committee poster. 'If you must Travel Travel Light' by Kerr.
Passenger trains also carried mail, so the public were also encouraged to consider the impact the volume of their parcels could have upon their speed of delivery by train.
For example a locomotive hauling 10 packed carriages and goods wagons could not possibly match the speed of one hauling just five pre-war.
'Heavy Parcels Cause Delay', British Railways poster, 1942, by Bert Thomas.
The end of the war
As the threat of invasion was removed and an end to the war was in sight, the war posters began to come down and hoardings reverted to advertising the services of the 'Big Four' companies. Station name signs were also restored.
In May 1945 a joint poster was designed by Reginald Mayes to mark Victory in Europe (VE) day with the caption 'In War and Peace We Serve'. Tourism made a welcome return and posters once again promoted the glories of the Cornish Riviera and the delights of Blackpool.
'In War and Peace We Serve', British Railways poster, 1945 by Reginald Mayes
Despite the jubilation that the war was finally over and life was gradually returning to normal, the outlook was far from rosy for Britain’s tracks. Although the railways were recognisably the most robust form of wartime transport the targeting by German bombers still took its devastating toll. Thousands of items of rolling stock were damaged or destroyed and sadly, 395 railway staff were killed and over 2,400 injured on duty.
Due to the post-war decline of the British economy, the pre-war glory days of the railway were at an end. In 1948 the Big Four were nationalised to form British Railways and a new era for Britain’s tracks began, with the infamous Beeching cuts just over a decade away.
All the wartime posters in this online exhibition are available to view via Search Engine at the National Railway Museum. Due to the nature of the posters prior appointment is often necessary. Search Engine’s archives include ‘hidden treasures’ such as works of art, railway posters, film, photography and sound recordings, engineering drawings and archive documents such as letters and diaries. Please call 01904 686235 or email search.engine@nrm.org.uk ahead of your visit.
