Original British WWI Bruce Bairnsfather Cartoon Books with War Relief Plates - Rare

Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. Bruce Bairnsfather was one of the most prominent British cartoonists during World War I, thanks to his cartoon character 'Old Bill'. He was born in 1887 as Charles Bruce Bairnsfather into a British military family in Murree, British India (now Pakistan). He began selling his drawings back in England from the age of 17. He tried his hand at poster art, but also worked as an electrical engineer and performed as a female impersonator in variety acts. He got his first break as an artist when he was hired to draw advertisements for Lipton tea.

This is an outstanding lot including two original cartoon books with cartoons by Bruce Bairnsfather, and two fantastic war relief plates depicting two of his cartoons. This set will fit well into any World War I collection!

The books include “The Bystander’s Fragments from France” and “MORE Fragments from France” both by Captain Bruce Bairnsfather. One is 48 pages, the other 40 pages. Both retain the colorized comic to the front! They measure 8 x 11” and 8 x 12”.

The first plate depicts his most famous comic, “"Well, if you knows of a beter ‘ole, go to it". It measures about 10” in diameter with lovely designs along the edge. It has a maker’s mark and a hanging string on the back.

The second plate depicts two boys tinkering with an unexploded artillery shell, the first saying “Give it a good ‘ard un Bert, you can generally ‘ear ‘em fizzing a bit first if they are a-goin to explode”. It measures 10” in diameter and has a great maker’s mark reading:

MADE BY
THE GIRLS OF STAFFORDSHIRE
DURING THE WINTER OF 1917
WHEN THE BOYS WERE IN THE 
TRENCHES FIGHTING FOR
LIBERTY AND
CIVILIZATION.

A tremendous set for any collection, ready to display.