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Landships II -> Landships WW1 Forum -> Miscellaneous -> Odd "Punch" Cartoon.
Post Info TOPIC: Odd "Punch" Cartoon.
James H


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Odd "Punch" Cartoon.
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Stumbled across this: http://www.finedictionary.com/tank.html

I had no idea what it was about. Investigations show that it appeared in "Punch" (a now defunct British satirical/humorous magazine) on March 18th, 1920.

The figure on the right is obviously Winston Churchill. The other is, it appears, a Captain Wedgwood Benn, father of Tony Benn, the politician with which British readers will be familiar. What point the cartoon is making isn't clear. I think finding out will involve wading through the entire Gutenberg ebook of Punch cartoons, which is always a mammoth task. I don't think it implies that Capt. Benn had anything to do with Tanks - probably that a relatively minor figure stood in the way of the Churchill juggernaut, here represented by a Tank, over some matter. How successfully, can't say.

Open to suggestions.



-- Edited by James H on Wednesday 21st of May 2014 12:44:52 PM

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Roger Todd


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The point appears to be even more obscure than that:

Mr. Churchill's description of a new tank, so fast that it could outstrip a foxhound "over a country," so cool that even in the tropics its crew would preserve their sangfroid traditionnel, and so delicately sprung that it could run over a brick without hurting itself—or the brick—momentarily encouraged the belief that here was the weapon to make war impossible. But almost in the same breath Mr. Churchill stated that simultaneously the War Office had invented a rifle grenade which would put the super-tank out of action. "As you were!"

Criticism was not entirely disarmed. Mr. Devlin of course talked of Ireland—"the only country with which the Empire is at war to-day;" and little Capt. Wedgwood Benn rebuked Mr. Churchill for his unfilial sneer at "pious America," and was himself advised "not to develop more indignation than he could contain."

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16563/16563-h/16563-h.htm

It seems that Benn took a pop at Churchill over something entirely unconnected with tanks and Churchill's reply appears to have inspired the cartoonist to draw an analogy with Churchill's earlier comments about certain qualities of the new tanks, i.e. that Churchill could run over Benn's opposition with as little harm to himself as that suffered by a tank running over a brick.



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Lothianman


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I had a look at The Times digital archive (to which I have access for the 'day job') and the speech by Churchill re the tank and the brick is more fully reported on the issue for 24 February 1920.

However, as far as the good Captain WB is concerned, the only thing I could find on a quick check in the weeks before the cartoon that mentions both WSC and WB was a disagreement between the two on air policy reported in the Times of 12 March 1920, in two separate reports on pp. 9-10 and 16, for those who want to decide for themselves.

WSC, being Minister for War and the Air, was opposing a split of his functions into two. He made some remarks on WB's views on this and opposed also funding the development of civil aviation (which WB wanted, it seems). Pretty thin stuff for a cartoon, but maybe it was a quiet news week ...and the timing fits perfectly for a weekly like Punch. Having said that, WB had other disagreements with the Government, over Ireland for instance (which was then in the middle of the Anglo-Irish War of course).

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CharlieC


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Anyone else noted that Churchill was talking about the Medium D tank. He was one of the few politicians who promoted the Medium D.

Regards,

Charlie



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Rob


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RE: Odd
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Wedgewood-Benn, after serving in the Yeomanry at Gallipoli, flew as an Observer on floatplanes from the seaplane carrier HMS Ben-my-chree. After that sunk he learned to be a pilot and served in Italy. Churchill saying daft things? Never!

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Rectalgia


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Odd "Punch" Cartoon.
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Roger Todd wrote:

The point appears to be even more obscure than that: ...

It seems that Benn took a pop at Churchill over something entirely unconnected with tanks and Churchill's reply appears to have inspired the cartoonist to draw an analogy with Churchill's earlier comments about certain qualities of the new tanks, i.e. that Churchill could run over Benn's opposition with as little harm to himself as that suffered by a tank running over a brick.

I think this is right ... with the corollary that Mr. Wedgwood Benn was no more harmed by the exchange.  Politicians were always fair game for Punch ('The latest type of Tank, Mr. Winston Churchill informed the House of Commons, weighs thirty tons and can pass over a brick without crushing it. It is said to be modelled on the Profiteering Act.', Mar 3 1920) and Churchill was splendid fun for them and no less so any who opposed him ('A history of the Ministry of Munitions is to be compiled at a cost of £9,648. To keep the expense down to this modest sum by economy in printing Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL will be referred to throughout as " X."', Jan 7 1920, 'A correspondent points out in The Daily Express that there are five Sundays in the present month. We understand however that Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL is not to blame this time.', Feb 4 1920, etc., etc.), secure in the knowledge that he just LOVED it.

But, with the 'odd cartoon', sadly the cartoonist hadn't an image of the Medium D with which to work or they were all alike to him or he was just a cartoonist or the general populace was heartily sick of things martial. 'The report that a British soldier has recently discovered a genuine specimen of a small war, in which Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL had no hand whatever, is now regarded as untrustworthy.', Dec 1 1920.



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