ORIGIN OF "OLD BILL."

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 177, 22 April 1919, Page 4

ORIGIN OF "OLD BILL."

CAPT. BAIRNSFATHER'S ACCOUNT-

Captain Bruce Baimsfather delighted a large audience at the Queen's f llall, London, recently/ with a talk on '"Ola Bill' and Me," in which incidentally he showed that his humour is not exhausted when the pencil is out of his hand. Aa to his own experiences in tho front trenches, they were, he explained, mere* ly the 6ame aa thousands of others—enlistment in August, 1914, a hurried train-! ing in England, France in the winter in good time for the second battle and then the recognition by the War Office that in his at any rate th» officer's pen was mightier than the sword/ And so to tho history of "Old Bill," liberally interspevsed with pictures of Ins career on the screen, which kept tiip dience in a constant roar of laughter. Despite thousands of claims to be the original, Captain Baimsfather confessed tint there was never a real "OMBill"; he represented, in the opinion of the artist, a type of tho Old Contemptible. Roughlv, the Army in the first winter of tho war could bo divided into three types, and they vero personified by Captain Baimsfather in Bill, Alf, and Bert. With their aid ho was able to portray the jokes of the trenches. Many of the pictures wore based on real happenings. An urgent message, "We havo two dozen blood oranges. Will you please let m« know if you want thorn for your com* mand?" was the origin of the jest with regard to the number of jars of ]am issued: a batman who was able to.eonjurs up pork chops at odd moments inspired the cartoon showing tlie sentry casting longing eyes on a straying goose. Wherj ever ho went, the lecturer said, he tried to cheor tho spirits of the men by his work; one of his first drawings was exiy culed on a cottage wall with soot froiq the chimney and oil from the butt trap of a rifle; others were pinned up with bayonets on the walls of dug-outs. Hut when occasion requires Captain Buirns< father can tell a dramatic story with ef« feet. The most serious moment of his lee. turc was wheJi ho told of tho second battle of Ypros, when in his own but* tnlion of tho Royal Warwicks 13 officer! out of 18 were out of action in an lioui and a half, while of 900 men 700 wer« casualties —but they hold the line. General Sir lan Hamilton, who pro\ eided, described Captain Baimsfather ni a great asset—the man who had relieved the strain of war, wlio hnd drawn a smile from sadness itself bv his skill in poking fun at tragedy. We might still need him to checr us. Peace was jmt yet*