"Warships sailing through the Mediterranean" by Forster, Unknown date

Catalogue ref: INF 3/131

A war effort poster depicting a convoy of British warships sailing through the Mediterranean. The poster features a map of Italy with a red cross through it and probably dates from September 1943 when Italy surrendered in the wake of the successful invasion of Sicily.

The poster is also interesting in that a British battleship and not an aircraft carrier holds centre stage. By late 1943 the carrier had gained primacy over the battleship as the most significant naval weapon. To the British public however, the battleship was still the most enduring symbol of British power.