Description
The cartoonist best known to Canadian troops in WWII was Bing Coughlin, who drew the “Herbie” cartoons for The Maple Leaf, the Canadian Army daily newspaper. Bing had front-line experience and started his career by doing sketches for the soldiers in his own troop. The main character, Private Herbie Canadian, became so well known that Canadian soldiers generally were called Herbies. Where Americans left “Kilroy Wuz Here” signs, “Herbie Wuz Here” sometimes marked the path of the Canadian advance.
The nature of war has changed in the 60 intervening years as has the visibility of a soldier's enemies today. Although some of the references in Coughlin's humour would be obscure to today's soldiers, many of the situations would be familiar. The irony of military humour remains a constant.
Smyth-sewn softcover, 6" × 9", 196 pages. First published in 1944 and 1946. Reprinted as part of our Classic Reprint Series.
