I think it suitably fitting for this first post to give a bit of a background to what inspired my blog’s title. Long story short – around the initial period of WWII, the British Government produced a series of posters with the objective of “raising the morale of the British public in the event of an invasion” (my source is Wikipedia – with apologies to my PhD supervisor, as any self-respecting research student knows what a no-no the site is for reliable information!). This particular poster was discovered at the “bottom of a box of old books bought in auction in 2000”, and since then has continued to inspire thousands (millions?) with its hopeful and optimistic nuance. It has certainly struck a chord with me – I openly admit to my penchant for the melodramatic! – and serves to remind me that no matter what frenzy abounds, I should, very simply, keep calm and carry on.

Coincidentally, the information above is derived from the Undergraduate Thesis: ‘The planning, design and reception of British home front propaganda posters of the Second World War’ of Bex Lewis, who believe it or not, later went on to explore the topic further and achieve a PhD in it!

Luckily for me, “since Crown Copyright expires on artistic works created by the UK government after 50 years, the image is now in the public domain.” (Thank you David Newton). The original poster is the one depicted above. However, as with anything popular, numerous parodies have been made and continue to be made of the poster, some of which I hope to share on my blog. As always, I shall endeavour to give source credits where they are due. Nonetheless, if by some oversight I don’t (and you notice that), may I request that you let me know immediately so that I can rectify my omission.

For now, thank you for taking time to read my humble attempt at a blog – I’d love to hear your feedback/comments.

Saneeya Qureshi © 2011