Imagine, it is The Great War and you are a soldier, serving in France. It has been such a horrible time, and you have lost so many of your friends. There is endless mud, endless noise, and your feet feel like they are about to drop off from cold, the endless damp or both. The mail is a bright spot, and you eagerly wait to see what you and your friends have been sent from home. Today you got a letter, and what's more, there is a copy of the latest Bystander book, Fragments From France. You and your mates enjoyed the last one so much, and you can't wait to get a look at this new one.
When I took this book, Fragments From France, to show the children their reactions were really interesting. Seeing the book and examining the cartoons was a really special experience for the children. Although many of them had family members who fought in the war, the First World War is so far removed from them. Almost 100 years have passed since it began and as more time goes by the people who fought become 'heroes', untouchable figures from history. For the children this book helped put a more human perspective on the soldiers. As one child said "the cartoons help me see the soldiers as people, just like my Dad or my Uncle." The book was so popular that I had to take it multiple times so they could 'read' it cover to cover
Most people who grew up in the era after the Great War have heard stories of the horrors of war. In the aftermath of the Great War, at the time thought to be 'The War To End All Wars', these horrors are what really stuck in peoples minds. Much less is said about the humor of the soldiers, yet soldiers were known for their wit, their humour, and their ability to laugh in the face of the many horrors they witnessed and experienced. It was a vital defence against the horrors and humorous depictions of the war were wildly popular, not only at home, but with the soldiers themselves. Many postcards sent home from the front are humourous, and their are countless cartoons, stories and poems. The Fragments From France series of cartoons were just one of the many humorous depictions of the war.
Although most often seen in booklet form, Fragments From France is not a mere book. It is one of a series collated from cartoons appearing in the Magazine 'Bystander' which ran in Britain from 1903 until 1940. The cartoons were published weekly from 1915, and were drawn by Bruce Bairnsfather. Bairnsfather had seen active service and been sent home in 1915 after the Second Battle of Ypres. He had been gassed and wounded by a shell and at home in Britain, while recovering in hospital, was diagnosed with shellshock. It was while he was in the hospital that Bystander commissioned the series of cartoons which became Fragments From France. Bairnsfathers experience in the war allowed him to draw on real events. As the preface of the first edition of Fragments From France said the cartoons were "not fun poked by a mere looker-on ; it is the fun felt in the war by one who has been through it" If you would like to learn more about Fragments From France or Bruce Bairnsfather click here.
