Stoicism, solidarity and cynicism: examining the role of Second World War posters in framing present-day British identity

The events of the Second World War are frequently recalled in modern British cultural discourse. The reuse and repetition of particular historical artefacts can have a powerful influence on the cultural memory and personal and national identities of people in Britain today, people whose experience is far removed from the realities of the wartime period. This paper focuses on one particular instance of this phenomenon: the appropriation and reuse of home front propaganda posters created by the British Ministry of Information (MoI) during the Second World War. Some of these posters have been republished in a variety of media over the last seventy years and are recognised today by large numbers of British people. This paper seeks to uncover what role the posters have in defining ideas and identities in the present. Drawing on data from a survey and interviews conducted with members of the public in spring and summer 2017, this paper will assess how particular Second World War images are able to influence present-day identities and historical consciousness. This research contributes to our understanding of how historical artefacts can have unintended long-term impacts on national culture, long after their original purpose and context has faded.