Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: The only story in town

For the soldiers in this cartoon the war is the only thing that is happening. For the civilians reading Punch this also has come to be the case.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: Theatrical Soldiers

What is going on here? Why are these reluctant thespians who under military orders being told to perform in this play? The explanation goes like this.

It is probably not well known that troops did not man the trenches on a permanent basis apart from occasional leave. In fact whole units would be withdrawn from time to time and replaced by fresh troops to take their place. The changeover was achieved under cover of darkness. The new unit would occupy all the positions previously held by the predecessors. In the morning at first light the enemy would not be aware of any change in their opposite trenches.

The men would now be transferred to a camp behind the lines. Here tired bodies and frayed nerves would begin to heal. The men were able to enjoy a good night sleep in clean beds, proper washing facilities and regular cooked meals. This was not arranged as an act of benevolence. Without these occasional rest periods even the best soldiers could not be expected to be as fit and alert as was necessary. Then, refreshed and invigorated they could get back to the serious business of defeating the ‘Hun’.

Some leisure activities were also needed to prevent the men from getting bored. Sport was the obvious answer. But this could not occupy the entire time and the weather was not always suitable. This is where the amateur theatricals came in though one does wonder whether a more suitable play could have been chosen in this instance.

By the way from reading autobiographies written well after WW1 we learn that a few soldiers at the time were not at all reluctant to kiss (and more than kiss) each other. When they did so they had to be very careful not to be seen doing so. The penalties were severe.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: Not happily married

The joke has nothing to do with the war. Nevertheless it is told in a military setting. The war did seem to be involved in just about everything.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: The war and the servant problem

Before, during and after World War 1 the servant problem was never far from the minds of the readers of Punch. During WW1 the problem could well be the absence of servants. More lucrative jobs were available that tempted many away from their employers.

This cartoon shows the son of the house bravely attempting to support his mother in her more important role that she is playing. I would guess that her job is as an unpaid organiser of some committee that is supporting the country in its hour of need.

To us the boy looks altogether too feminine but I assume that the artist was accurately describing an upper middle class boy at the time.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: One more problem is solved

The ‘special’ is a part-time policeman. His response to a truly asinine question is one of gentle sarcasm. Sandbags were used to protect public buildings in case of enemy air raids. I can remember them similarly used during World War Two.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: Mistaken for a hat

In order to make this joke ‘work’ the artist has deliberately ignored an important convention about ladies hats. This convention demands that women put on a hat when leaving the home and keep it on when making a brief visit. We have witnessed countless Punch jokes in which several women are present. All but one of them is hatted. The hostess is therefore the one whose head is not graced with an item of millenary. This rule applies when visiting either casually or for coffee in the morning and for tea. Visitors for luncheon or dinner take off their hats and coats.

So the aggrieved woman in the cartoon should not be wearing her hat in her own home. However without this error the returning husband could not make his unwelcome mistake.

My late mother in law was born in 1901. Most of the time that I knew she would always put on a hat when leaving the house however informal or brief the occasion. She died in 1988 and toward the end of her life she had become self-conscious about this and tried hard to stop doing it. She did not always succeed.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: Unsuccessful attempts at growing food

In 1918 there are various cartoons about people growing their own vegetables. This fashion was not just a fad. It was caused by shortages of food in the shops. In peace time much of Britain’s food was imported (as it still is today.) An active U-boat campaign sent many merchant navy ships to the bottom of the sea. This cartoon is more realistic than many which merely extolled the virtue of people growing their own food. Here we see an example of the reality of amateurs expecting their unskilled efforts to be rewarded by instant success.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: Women in uniform

More and more roles were undertaken by women as the war went on (and on). At a distance the lovelorn swain couldn’t see that his supposed rival was nothing of the sort.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: Entrenched class distinction

Chances are that in civilian life the subaltern’s Dad is himself quite upper middle class – how else would the young man have reached the dizzy height of being a lieutenant? That previous status counted for nothing in the army of 1918.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1918: A willing helper but…

With the help of Google we can quickly see that a dandy brush has stiff bristles and is ideal for grooming a horse. It doesn’t tell us why it is called dandy brush. Can anyone help?

The young woman is eager to do what the famer wants her to do. Her lack of knowledge of the language of the countryside has caused this simple misunderstanding.