'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

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Saturday 24 July 2010

Keep calm



I've just bought a rather fun and useful drink bottle. It is very efficient as it not only assists me to drink more water when I am beavering away on some absorbing painting project, but reminds me not to panic when things don't go according to plan. I love it!

It came with a little card with the following words:

"It was 1939 and Britain was on the brink of war. In anticipation of this the British Government's Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propaganda posters to reassure the population they would be defended at all costs.

The posters were to be displayed all over the country once war was declared. Using only the crown of King George VI, this particular poster simply read "Keep Calm and Carry On". It never actually made it onto the walls of Britain and was never officially issued.

A crumpled copy of the poster was however rediscovered by chance many years later amongst a pile of dusty old books in a book store in Northumberland, England.

This simple poster with its simple message is just as relevant today as it was back in the 1930's."

Water bottle made by Wild & Wolf Limited. www.wildandwolf.com

PS. No, I am not receiving a commission from the makers. But if Wild & Wolf happen to be reading this, I would not refuse any fiscally-oriented input to my bank account.)

PPS if you are still reading this Wild & Wolf, I think it flows better with the comma after 'King George VI'.

4 comments:

  1. Yes. That was a wonderful find. I saw the original news item but a blog never occurred to me. Now it's an absolutely huge 'thing' in the UK too. I must get a copy and put it somewhere very prominent - very useful when I'm playing croquet (which I am this weekend)! And yes, I agree with you about the comma!

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  2. Well, the 'thing' went by without me knowing about it until now. It is so... pragmatic. A sort of 1930's 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'.

    Enjoy your game GB!

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  3. Blogland links again! The same motto appeared on a badge featured in Fridge Soup this week.

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  4. Definitely the comma. Your post today reminded me of those old British comedy films "Carry On, Doctor" and "Carry On, Nurse" and "Carry On, Teacher" and however many other professions were supposed to be carrying on!

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