Judge, 1916-02-05 · page 18 of 28
Judge — February 5, 1916 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects humorous cartoons from British, German, and French publications during World War I, showcasing how different nations used satire about the war. The cartoons include military recruitment humor (a recruit finds his officer suddenly distant), domestic comedy about children and governesses, and war-specific jokes. Most notably, an "Irish Sergeant" cartoon depicts soldiers in a ruined French farmhouse checking for doors—dark humor about the destruction of the Western Front. Another references a "Zeppelin," the German airships used in bombing raids, suggesting Allied concerns about aerial threats. The "Woman Barber" cartoon appears to be pre-war social satire about gender roles. The recurring theme is ordinary people's lives disrupted by wartime realities—missing loved ones, dangerous conditions, and the casual violence of trench warfare presented as comedy for home audiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
First recruit—What do you think of the Major, Bill? Second recruit—He's a changeable kind 0° bloke. Last night I says to ‘im, ‘’00 goes there?” an’ he says, Friend! to-day ’e ‘ardly knows me.—Punch (London). fu haben deck. woh , These Children! Exsicherin—Du : ch’, bewege Dich meine Tochter davor gen Jahren schon must “You think that your daughter is too . joverness—You 3 » Max! 7 a but you yourself s +3 h 30 and run about a little. Max—I'd rather sit down on the bench. just it, you sce I want to prevent I can close my cyes!—Fliegende Blaetter y ghter from being a mother-in-law too (Munich). young.” —Meggendorfer Blaetter (Munich). The Woman Barber Praulein. Sie haben hier Stoppeln stehen lassen!” it’s autumn, (Berlin). oa —" ~~ Trophies he done de nous avoir un zepp ow all we need is a Zeppelin The boy on the rails—'l, Jellicoe! If Irish Sergeant (sleeping in a ruined farm- you're goin’ down again, you might ’ave a house somewhere in France)—Here, Burke, look fer my knife, will yer? It’s got two just shlip out and sce if there’s a front door; ; blades an’ a brown ’andle.—Sketch (London). and, if there is, shut ut!—Punch (London). — Rire (Paris). comicbooks.com