Bruce Bairnsfather -part 2

Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (1888-1959) served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on the Western Front during World War One (1914-1918). Before the war he had attempted to make his living as a commercial artist and he continued to sketch while at the Front. The horror of trench warfare had a profound effect on the young infantry officer but it was the stoic good humour of his men that inspired most of the cartoons he produced. Encouraged by his work's popularity with officers and men alike, Bairnsfather submitted a cartoon entitled, 'Where Did That One Go To?', to the 'The Bystander' magazine and it was accepted and published. Compilations of his cartoons, notably the 'Fragments from France' series, followed. Bairnsfather's artwork was reproduced widely in various forms and became the subject of successful theatrical and film productions. Invalided home, Bairnsfather became quite a celebrity but the British authorities seemed disinclined to promote the artist or his work. Bairnsfather was however in demand from Britain's allies and he went on to work with the French, Italian and United States armies. In October 1915. while training machine gun officers at Sutton Veny, Bairnsfather produced his most famous cartoon depicting two soldiers sharing a shell hole, entitled, 'Well if you knows a better' ole, go to it'. It was published in the Christmas issue of 'The Bystander', on 24 November 1915.

For earlier works see part 1 also. This is part 2 of a 3-part series on the works of Bruce Bairnsfather:

1917 The Growth of Democracy

1917 In the Support Trench
Old Bill has practically decided to try to get Private Shinio (the ex-comedy-juggler-and-hand-balancer) transferred to another platoon.

1917 A Miner Success
 "They must 'ave 'ad some good news or somethin, Alf; you can 'ear em cheerin' quite plain." 

1918 No Answer
"Whats the matter with your 'ead Bill - Pelmanism? or caught it on a barrage?"
published in The Bystander

1918 "Ils ne passeront pas"
 "Old soldiers never say die, they'll simply block the way"

1918 His Fatal BeautyOld Bill:
“My wife married me for love, ye know, Bert" 
BERT (after prolonged and somewhat pained scrutiny of Bills face): "I had been wonderin’ what it was, Bill!"
 

1919 Captain Bairnsfathers first meeting with "Old Bill"
This historic incident took place during the first battle of Ypres, but the Censor held stern views about battle pictures in those days, so that it is only now that we are happily able to place it upon record in print.

1918 Cartoon for "New York World" February 21, 1918
original artwork 

1919 Old Bill in Camouflage
watercolour on paper 29 x 18.7 cm
Imperial War Museum, London

1919 Fragments Vol.1. No.1 July 16 1919
"Old  Bill's New Bill"

1919 Fragments Vol.1. No.2 July 23
"From Mud to Mufti."

1919 Fragments Vol.1. No.10. September 20
"Put that Stage Coach down!"

1919 Fragments Vol.1. No.16. November 1

1919 Fragments Vol.1. No.21. December 6

1920 Fragments Vol.II No. 26 January 10

1933 Laughing through the Orient
published by Hutchinson & Co. Publishers Ltd., London

1933 Laughing through the Orient
Before going to the East, it is just as well to be photographed if only to frighten the folks at home.

1933 Laughing through the Orient
Cross Section of the Awakening East

1933 Laughing through the Orient
The first week's the hardest, but even after, Bill found it harder to forget his "Self," and enter the "Supreme Nothing" (or IT).

1939 "Old Bill" Sees the World
The Bystander 17 May issue

1940 Old Bill does it again!
Title page

1940 Old Bill does it again!
"Deutchland Uber Alles"

1914 I'm sure the'll 'ear this damn thing squeskin'
1941 They must 'ave seen this damn thing blinkin'

1942 Major General Russell P. Harte
A pencil sketch from life
22 December 1942

1943 Jeeps & Jest's front cover

1943 Jeeps & Jest's title page

1944 Attack Nothin'! This is only a diversion! The real attack's comin' five miles to the left!
pen and ink, grey wash, watercolour on art board
Published in "Stars and Stripes"

1945 No Kiddin'!
A book of WW2 cartoons

1952 A River Landscape
oil on canvas 50.8 x 60.9 cm

Note: Dates were not found for the remainder of images in this series.

"A Hopeless Dawn"
 grey wash heightened with white on paper 27 x 25 cm

Anglo-Saxon
 "You're comin' along with me, my lad, as soon as this is over!"
(Hermann feels he does know a better 'ole) 

Alladin Pantomime

All the time we're sleepin safe and sound in our trenches Bert, there's blokes ou fishin around for these - things. We must never forget 'em
monochrome watercolour on paper 52 x 36.5 cm

All the best from Old Bill and Bruce Bairnsfather
monochrome wash over pencil heightened with body-colour
60 x 44cm

A pair of head studies
pencil on paper 38 x 25 cm

Bill & Alf
pencil on paper 14 x 9.8 cm

The Fatalist.
"I'm sure they'll 'ear this damn thing squeakin'."

Bruce Bairnsfather -part 1

Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (1888-1959) served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on the Western Front during World War One (1914-1918). Before the war he had attempted to make his living as a commercial artist and he continued to sketch while at the Front. The horror of trench warfare had a profound effect on the young infantry officer but it was the stoic good humour of his men that inspired most of the cartoons he produced. Encouraged by his work's popularity with officers and men alike, Bairnsfather submitted a cartoon entitled, 'Where Did That One Go To?', to the 'The Bystander' magazine and it was accepted and published. Compilations of his cartoons, notably the 'Fragments from France' series, followed. Bairnsfather's artwork was reproduced widely in various forms and became the subject of successful theatrical and film productions. Invalided home, Bairnsfather became quite a celebrity but the British authorities seemed disinclined to promote the artist or his work. Bairnsfather was however in demand from Britain's allies and he went on to work with the French, Italian and United States armies. In October 1915. while training machine gun officers at Sutton Veny, Bairnsfather produced his most famous cartoon depicting two soldiers sharing a shell hole, entitled, 'Well if you knows a better' ole, go to it'. It was published in the Christmas issue of 'The Bystander', on 24 November 1915.

This is part 1 of a 3-part series on the works of Bruce Bairnsfather:

1910s Our Democratic Army
postcard

1915 Army Service Corps
ink and wash on paper 16 x 26 cm

1915 Army Service Corps
detail

1915 Army Service Corps
detail

1915 Another Maxim Maxim
"Machine guns form a valuable support for infantry"
postcard

1915 The Bystander cover: 22 December
Five days leave! Taxi!

1915 My Dug-Out: A lay of the trenches

1916 The Intelligence Department
"Is this ere the Warwicks?"
"Nao, 'Indenburgs blinkin' Light Infantry"

1916 The Conscientious Exhilarator

1916 Bullets & Billets
by Bruce Bairnsfather

1916 A Hopeless Dawn

1916  My Hat!
Helmets, Shrapnel, One.
The Bystander magazine

1916 War!
This interesting view for 6 months... or -As it is for most of us
The Bystander March 1, 1916

1916 Those Superstitions
Private Sandy McNab cheers the assembly by pointing out (with the aid of his pocket almanac) that it is Friday the 13th and that their number is one too many

1916 There are times when Private Lightfoot feels absolutely convinced that its going to be a War of Exhaustion
The Bystander Christmas Number

1916 The New Submarine Danger
"They'll be torpedoin' us if we stick ere much longer, Bill" 

1916-19 The Bystanders Fragments from France published January 1916-1919:

On 5th January 1916 The Bystander published an advertisement announcing that their new Bairnsfather book, to be titled Fragments from France - described as “48 pages of screaming comicality” -  would be on sale shortly. Three weeks later, Fragments from France appeared in bookstalls across England, and was an instant hit. In a full page advertisement on 26th January, The Bystander stated “Letters we have received by the score from officers and men on active service in all the theatres, assure us that nothing since the war began presents the actual facts and feelings of the fighting men so realistically or so humorously as do these sketches by one of themselves….To get an immediate copy of Fragments from France is a duty you owe to yourself. No dug-out, billet or mess room will be complete without it. And if you ever feel in a generous mood towards the enemy, cheer him up too by hurling a copy over to his trenches. It will prove a high explosive of mirth, even to him.”

Over the next three years a further seven volumes of Fragments from France and a larger format Edition De Luxe were published, each one a best seller. 

"They've evidently seen me."

"There goes our blinkin' parapet again"

"The Same Old Moon"

"The Push" -in Three Chapters.

"Where did that one go to?"

"Well, if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it."

"Watch me make a fire-bucket of 'is 'elmet."

1916 (January) The Bystanders
Fragments from France

A.D. Nineteen Fifty.
"I see the War Babies' Battalion is coming out."

Keeping His Hand In.
Private Smith, the company bomber, formerly "Shinio," the popular juggler, frequently causes considerable anxiety to his platoon,

Humours from the Front - No. 32
Situation Shortly Vacant

Dear - "At present we are staying at a farm..."

Coiffure in the Trenches.
"Keep yer 'ead still, or I'll 'ave yer blinkin' ear off."

So Obvious.
The Young and Talkative One: "Who made that 'ole?"
The Fed-up One: "Mice."

My Dug-Out: A lay of the trenches.

The Eternal Question.
"Ehen the 'ell is it goin' to be strawberry?"

The Bystanders Fragments from France

That Sword.
How he thought he was going to use it-
-and how he did use it.

That Evening Star-shell.
"Oh, star of eve, whose tender beam
Falls on my spirit's troubled dream."