“Kilroy was here” graffiti, featuring a long-nosed man peeking over a wall, originated among American service members during WWII. The illustration is of British origin and is known as “Chad”. The script could have come from an American shipyard, where an inspector would write “Kilroy Was Here” on the ships he worked on. The most plausible story about the script has to do with how ship workers were paid for their work during WWII.
The famous “Kilroy was here” graffiti featuring a long-nosed man peeking over a wall appears to be an international phenomenon. Most people are familiar with the man’s sight and accompanying text, and “Kilroy was here” pops up in some surprising places. The origins of this graffiti trend are a bit difficult to pin down and there are several pretenders to the original ‘Kilroy’.
What is known about “Kilroy was here” is that it appears to have surfaced among American service members during WWII. Numerous Americans who served in the war became familiar with the jaunty figure and caption at the end of hostilities, and this hallmark has remained in American military culture, appearing in the Korean, Vietnam, and Iraq wars. It also appears to have spread to other armies and from there to the general population.
The elements of this graffiti also appear to have distinct origins, rather than being the unified invention of one mastermind. The illustration is of British origin and is known as “Chad”. Chads have been used in cartoons parodying shortcomings, typically with the caption “Wot, no…” underneath. The “Kilroy Was Here” script, on the other hand, could have come from an American shipyard, where an inspector would write “Kilroy Was Here” on the ships he worked on.
The most plausible story about the script has to do with how ship workers were paid for their work during WWII. Instead of being paid by the hour, workers were paid by the piece. When multiple people worked on the same area of a ship, they marked their work with chalk marks so that their work could be counted for payment. However, unscrupulous workers would move the chalk marks to raise their pay. In response, an enraged shipyard worker allegedly started adding “Kilroy was here” to make it harder for him to move the chalk marks. These markings often ended up in places that would have been impossible to scratch, such as the inside of hull linings, leading people to believe that Kilroy could appear anywhere.
Others have suggested that the term came from military hospitals, supply companies, and a variety of other places. Whatever the origin of the script, it was linked to Chad at some point and became a familiar sight. Some nations have their own variation. Australians, for example, write “Foo was here” under the illustration, spawning a whole new variety of legends.
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