'Fragments from France'
British Front-Line Humour
the first four covers
'Fragments from France' was more of an anthology than a periodical magazine. Each issue contained a number of excellent cartoons originally drawn 'somewhere in France' by Captain Bruce Bairnsfather for 'the Bystander' magazine. Even in this present day and age, they are much appreciated, the humor being easily understandable and apparently relatively timeless. Whole websites can no doubt be dedicated to analyzing and discussing the humor of Captain Bairnsfather, which was anti-authorian, irreverant, down-to-earth, pithy and crude at times and yet nevertheless managed to be patriotically British to the core and very relevant to the everyday experiences of the British soldier, both in the firing line and behind the front. He loved to make fun of stereotypes, both in the military as in the media but somehow managed to avoid ruffling too many feathers in the process. A great morale builder, his cartoons undoubtedly reflected ordinary soldiers' everyday fears, concerns and gripes in an understandable and humorous fashion.
The magazines were much appreciated and have been reprinted in fascimile editions. For more info on 'Fragments from France' and its creator visit these following websites :
Bruce Bairnsfather / Bruce Bairnsfather 2 / Bruce Bairnsfather 3 / Bruce Bairnsfather 4
for those who mistakingly think that merchandising is a modern day phenomenon
advertisements for 'The Bystander' and 'Fragments'
'Fragments' in Russian - from a war-time Russian publication 'Lukomorie'
Cartoons Collection
poking fun at himself