Judge, 1917-08-18 · page 19 of 28
Judge — August 18, 1917 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects wartime satirical cartoons from WWI-era British and French publications, mocking home-front absurdities during the conflict. **Key themes:** - **"The Utilisation of Special Talent"**: A French joke questioning whether educated professionals (professors, dentists, caricaturists) would effectively unload coal—mocking the wasteful deployment of skilled workers to menial labor during wartime mobilization. - **"War economy"**: A woman resists fabric rationing even if it means breaking the German Hindenburg defensive line—satirizing civilian resistance to sacrifice. - **Boot mix-up**: Soldiers receiving mismatched boots, with the batman noting the spare pair is equally useless—poking fun at military supply incompetence. - **Medical exams & life-belts**: Jokes about military medical procedures and ships' safety equipment, questioning whether precautions actually protect soldiers. The overall satire targets wartime inefficiency, civilian selfishness, and the disconnect between leaders' rhetoric about sacrifice and actual wartime management.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Well, dad, you don’t seem very glad to see me!” “I can’t my lad; but I’m very glad to hear your voice.” The Utilisation of Special Talent —Dites donc, d'un professeur, d'un dentiste, ou d'un caricaturiste, lequel croyez-vous qui déchargera le miewx du charbon dans un port? “Tell me, of a professor, a dentist, or a caricaturist, which do you think would best unload coal at a port?”"—Le Rire (Paris). “War economy’s all very well, my good woman, but I’m not going to wear those—no, not if it broke the Hindenburg line tomor- row.” —Bystander (London). No Choice Officer—Hang it! you've brought the wrong boots. Can’t you see one is black and the other brown? Batman—Sure, but the other pair is just the same.—Cassell’s Saturday Journal. “After You!” (The Potentials Being Medically Exam- ined).—London Opinion. The Capture of a Man-of-War —Bystander (London). Cheering The barber was finishing lathering a cus- tomer, and was talking volubly as usual. “Yes, sir,” he said; “we have to mind what we're about here. Every time we cut a customer's face we are fined a ‘tan- ner,’ and an ugly gash costs us a ‘bob’! Then, picking up and brandishing a razor, he added: “But I don’t care a hang to-day. I've just won a ‘quid’.”"—Tit-Bits (London). “This is a lot of rot putting on these life- belts. Why can’t they put qne round the ship?”—London Opinion. comicbooks.com