Protecting the People: The Central Office of Information and the Reshaping of Post-War Britain, 1946-2011

by David Welch

The Central Office of Information Archive at the British Library consists of a unique collection of over 15,000 free information and guidance leaflets, posters, booklets and other promotional materials dating from the 1940s to 1997. This astonishingly rich and truly unique collection - designed and produced for a range of UK government departments and agencies by the COI - reveals what the government wanted its citizens to think or know about topical issues and the image of Britain it wanted to project to the outside world. 0In 'Protecting the People' one of the world's leading writers on propaganda and information projection presents a remarkably detailed history and critique of the workings and development of the COI from its origins in the Second World War through to the era of AIDS and the threat of nuclear war. As such this richly illustrated volume is of enduring interest to social historians, Cold War historians and all those interested in Post-War graphic desig

256 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book, looking at the history of the COI, which took over from the Office of Propaganda after the war.
Each chapter looks at a time period, with the main Govt advice areas pointed out. This is then followed up with several heavily illustrated pages, showing the posters, leaflets, or stills from the films used. This ranges from the Coronation to the birth of the NHS, through Protect and Survive, and on to the AIDS epidemic. For people of a certain age, there will be some familiar faces, the Green Cross Code Man for example, and there will be some new things. Who knew they used Saucy Postcard style illustrations to persuade homeowners to get local council grants.
Comprehensively researched, this is a wonderful record of govt communications over the years

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting journey down the public information memory lane. Occassionally Welch "goes off on one" as he does with the extensive section on surviving a nuclear attack; Which is not how I recall the 1980s.