[Hubert Rogers/CWM/19870123-005]

I recently came across a slide show of various propaganda posters from the Second World War. There was the standard fare of “Keep calm and carry on,” “Loose lips sink ships” and Rosie the Riveter’s “We Can Do It!” But tucked away at the end was a 1943 poster that I hadn’t seen before. I was stuck by the artist’s depiction of a tale of Canadian derring-do, which was accompanied by the tag line “Men of Valor, They fight for you.”

This poster wasn’t like any I had seen in my years of researching military history. It depicted a recent action from the front—in this case, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Merritt’s Victoria Cross-earning actions during the ill-fated 1942 Dieppe Raid—with a beautiful illustration by Canadian artist Hubert Rogers and accompanied by a short quote from his VC citation. The impact couldn’t help but inspire the viewer.

The poster was part of a series created by the Canadian government, the first of which was published in 1942; the last appeared in 1943. Each included artwork by Rogers, in a style resembling the covers of postwar comic books, The Victor and War Picture Library. And unlike many other propaganda posters, the Men of Valor set is more about the men featured than a snappy or morale-boosting slogan. They were produced in both English and French.

The Merritt piece was one of two to recall Operation Jubilee at Dieppe. It shows The South Saskatchewan Regiment soldier running with two Bren guns and a Thompson squeezed under his arm as he helped his comrades withdraw from the carnage at Green Beach in front of the town of Pourville, just west of Dieppe. Merritt was instrumental in attacking a series of German positions on his own and had set up a makeshift perimeter to help men escape.

“Although twice wounded Lieutenant-Colonel Merritt continued to direct the unit’s operations with great vigour and determination and while organising the withdrawal he stalked a sniper with a Bren gun and silenced him,” noted his VC citation. “He then coolly gave orders for the departure and announced his intention to hold off and ‘get even with’ the enemy. When last seen he was collecting Bren and Tommy guns and preparing a defensive position which successfully covered the withdrawal from the beach.”

Unlike many other propaganda posters, the Men of Valor set is more about the men featured than a snappy or morale-boosting slogan.

[Hubert Rogers/CWM/19920196-004]

Unlike many other propaganda posters, the Men of Valor set is more about the men featured than a snappy or morale-boosting slogan.

The other poster to depict the Dieppe Raid shows Quebec-born Lieutenant-Colonel Dollard Ménard, commander of Les Fusiliers du Mont-Royal, running with Thompson in hand, his uniform torn away showing a bleeding wound and his men following. The Fusiliers were among the first to hit the beaches that day and incurred many casualties. Dollard himself was wounded five times during the raid and was the only commanding officer not killed or captured at Dieppe. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his actions.

[Hubert Rogers/CWM/20010129-0496]

Another poster in the series shows two sailors from HMCS Oakville boarding a U-boat. On Aug. 28, 1942, the Canadian corvette was part of an escort convoy near Haiti when it attacked U-94, depth charging, then ramming the German sub twice. It surfaced and the boarding party was dispatched.

“Mariners Lawrence and Powell jumped onto the submarine and shot and killed two of the crew who rushed to the deck. And then dug the Germans out of the conning tower like ants from an ant hill,” reported a British newspaper.

The sailors subsequently searched the vessel for its remaining crew and forced them over the side at gunpoint. The duo then jumped over themselves after discovering the boat had been scuttled by its crew. Most of the survivors were later picked up by USS Lea.

[Hubert Rogers/CWM/19920196-110]

The Men of Valor series featured all three services of Canada’s armed forces. Royal Canadian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Ralph McLaren Christie was depicted in the cockpit of his Hudson bomber during an attack on a German convoy in May 1942 in another poster.

Christie, a prewar bush pilot, had joined the RCAF in October 1939. At the time of the action depicted on the poster he was featured in, Christie was with 407 Squadron, RCAF, which was part of No. 16 Group Coastal Command. On May 15, 1942, Christie led a bomber attack on a German convoy off the Dutch coast. His Hudson bomber took significant damage during the encounter, but he continued to press on before making a controlled crash landing back at base. Christie was the first RCAF pilot awarded a DSO during the war.

[Hubert Rogers/CWM/20010129-0528]

The fifth poster in the series highlights the contributions of an often overlooked but vital element of the Allied war effort: the Merchant Navy.

The fifth poster in the series highlights the contributions of an often overlooked but vital element of the Allied war effort: the Merchant Navy, or the “Fourth Arm of the Service” as the poster refers to it.

The artwork shows the crew of the icebreaker Montcalm fending off attack from a U-boat and a bomber during their journey to Murmansk to deliver the ship as a gift from Canada to the Soviet Union to aid in moving materiel to the port in response to the 1941 German invasion.

It took Captain Fred S. Slocombe three attempts to get the aging vessel to Murmansk, twice having had to return to Halifax for repairs to its boilers. On the final trip, the crew fought off German attacks over three days. In recognition of his leadership, Slocombe was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. The ship, meanwhile, served the U.S.S.R. through the remainder of the war and on.

The Men of Valor poster series hit home the way few propaganda pieces ever did.