Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: Dad’s Army

The Home Guard was formed in 1940 when the threat of imminent invasion was very real. By 1942 it was no longer likely but this movement satisfied a need to be relevant to the war effort. This cartoon no doubt exaggerates but it too reflects the desire to be topical.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: Buying from Uncle Sam

This is a dream transaction. The United States still stuck to transparent neutrality – until Pearl Harbour in December 1941. Buying from Canada was different – even when the Canadians had purchased said items from the United States…

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: Keep eating the potatoes

There is nothing fictitious in this scene. Rationing became severe and we were all told to fill up on potatoes.

Re: The Pages of Punch

Funny, that's what my slimming club keep telling me.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: My dog ate my coupons

Schoolchildren have been known to blame their dog for the non-appearance of their homework. This customer is trying the same excuse for the non-existence of the coupons needed for the purchase of food.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: The conduct of the war

Father’s look of pessimism would have been entirely justified in 1940. The war was really not going well. Newspaper columnists were free to recommend alternative strategies designed to win the war speedily.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: Battle of Britain

The fighter pilot is modestly making light of his victory in the air. The RAF certainly was outnumbered but managed to defeat the much larger Luftwaffe. This favourable outcome could not have been predicted while the battle was in full swing. This cartoon should be seen as a morale boosting little joke.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: The Secret Service in action?

The general public had no idea what the Secret Service was doing in 1940. This sort of charade fortunately did not reflect what they were really doing.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: He charges people to look at his bomb crater

Enemy bombers dropped their remaining bombs when returning after raiding a specific target. They did this to lighten the load and to avoid explosions in the event of a crash landing. In rural areas the resulting crater might well have attracted sight seekers. The canny farmer wished to cash in on this interest. Even so, a filled in crater is not likely to attract any customers.

Re: The Pages of Punch

1940: Every Night Something Awful

Importance was attached to providing entertainment for the troops. Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation set up for this purpose. The supply did not always match the demand as this cartoon illustrates. The soldiers found their own explanation of the acronym ENSA. It was ‘Every night …’ as in the title of this posting.