'Watch your talk for his sake': Immaculate collection of World War Two posters found in chest of drawers

Collection of about 250 posters from WWII found in a London garage

Includes rare original of now world-famous Keep Calm and Carry On design

Collection will go for £20,000, with some posters fetching £1,200 each



A set of more than 250 World War Two posters found folded up in a chest of drawers are set to sell for £20,000.



The immaculate posters were packed away at the end of war in 1945 and were only discovered when the seller, from London, cleared out his garage.



He found about 100 different designs - some of which were duplicates.

A collection of posters from World War II, including these released by the Ministry of Information, have been found in a London garage and will now be put up for auction



The collection, discovered by the seller when he was clearing out his garage, also includes the original and now world famous Keep Calm and Karry On design, as well as this famous 'Together' poster



Another one of the posters features this dramatic scene of a Navy boat speeding away from an enemy ship engulfed in flames with the caption 'Britain's Sea Power is Yours'

Another version of the same poster shows scores of warships sailing across the seas

The collection includes posters advising those on the home front what do if you are caught in air raids while at home or on the streets.

Other posters carry patriotic messages urging the support of Allied troops while others warn of the danger of giving away secrets by talking about the war in public.

Among the posters is a rare original of the now world-famous Keep Calm and Carry On design - which was distributed in limited numbers in 1939 but never displayed in public.



Each poster is in such good condition, experts think they were never displayed.

It is thought they must have originally belongs to someone connected the to company that published the posters - which were issued by the Ministry of Information, the Government department in charge of propaganda.

The collection is tipped to fetch £20,000 when it goes under the hamm er at Lawre nces auction house in Bletchley, Surrey.

The collection of 250 posters includes 100 designs with some replicas. Above is one poster encouraging people to walk short distances and another released by the Navy about saving money for war ships

One of the posters, most of which are in an immaculate condition, details Nazi land-grab plans across Europe

Two other pieces provide information about what to do in an air raid under different circumstances



Another informative piece in the collection - which may go for up to £20,000 at auction

Experts believe the posters range from £50 pounds to £1,200 in value.

Robin Lawrence, auctioneer, said: 'Amazingly this collection has lain undisturbed since the end of the war.

'The current vendor was having a clear-out of his garage and came across the posters in an old chest of drawers.

'Before that he was totally unaware they were there.

Two more posters - including one warning people not to mention arrivals or destinations of cargoes to anyone for national security and another calling for women ambulance drivers to sign up to the war effort



Some of the posters in the collection - which also includes these two examples calling on people to support the forces and save fuel for battle - will go for up to £1,200, experts say



A striking and bold design shows a muscular figure shooting an plane as if it is an arrow

'Besides from a few fold lines they are in outstanding condition. It is thought that someone in the vendor's family was connected in some way to the publishing of these posters.

'There is nothing to suggest that these posters have been moved from the drawer since 1945.



'The posters cover different subjects from what to do in an air raid to warnings not to discuss the war in public should spies hear.

One fascinating poster shows the inside workings of a flying bomb

Two more posters in the collection - which auctioneers say probably belonged to someone responsible for producing the posters for public distribution



'It is fitting that these posters have surfaced around the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings but it was a complete coincidence.

'World War II posters have a huge amount of nostalgia attached to them and are ever popular. There is a real sense of artistry to them too.'