“Fragments from France” are collections of Captain Bruce Bairnsfather‘s First World War cartoons produced for each issue of “The Bystander”, a weekly magazine.
Noel Downing collected and kept 7 volumes of “Fragments” while he was serving with the Welsh Guards in France and they remain in our archive.
The Bystander’s Fragments from France by Bruce Bairnsfather, Vols. 1-7
Possibly these copies were delivered directly to him at the front line. No doubt Noel appreciated a good joke and Bairnsfather’s cartoons delivered the best antidote to the reality of the war.
After the first volume was published, and over a quarter of a million copies were sold, Bairnsfather became a household or rather a “trench-hold” name.
Captain Bairnsfather’s pictures are “the real thing” […] They make the Old Army laugh. They make the New Army laugh. They make civilians laugh. They make the Press Bureau laugh. They – but what’s the use of saying more? Everybody knows Bairnsfather and his “Fragments.”
From Foreword to Vol. 3
His main characters Old Bill, Bert and Alf were typical British Tommies fighting the Bosche. “Seriously comical and comically serious”, they were shown to the reader as a proof that human nature and humour survive the horrors of war.
As General Sir Ian Hamilton said […], “The creator of Old Bill has rendered great service to his country, both as a soldier and as one who has done much to lighten the darkest hour.”
From Foreword to Vol. 7
!["'Ullo!" [11 Nov 1918]. Fragments from France, Vol. 7](https://www.morganfourman.com/morganfourman/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fragments-from-france-vol-7-p-31.jpg)
Sources
- The Bystander’s Fragments from France by Capt. Bruce Bairnsfather, Vols. 1-7, Tallis House, Whitefriars, & 190, Strand, London, 1916 – 1919
- The Bystander, No. 764, 24 Jul 1918