SLHS: Bruce Bairnsfather

● Wrote First British “Talkie”

Lived at Victoria Spa

● These items have aspects that uniquely contribute to national or world history.

Tom Bairnsfather & wife

Military Family

Authentic portrait of The Bard Of Avon reading “There was a young lady of Stratford ..”

In 1914 the world was plunged into World War I. It was a desperate time. Bruce’s Warwickshire Regiment were assigned to operating battlefield machine guns which substantially damaged his hearing. He managed to avoid being killed but inbetween duties decided to write, and even draw sketches, about his experiences in the trenches. The humorous ones got passed about and he became renowned. Here’s a quote from International Guild Of Battlefield Guides p26 of Spring 2022:

1. “King George V visited many cemeteries in France and Belgium, some of them in the process of being built. Meanwhile Bruce Bairnsfather, now became recognised as a morale-booster and an appointed Officer Cartoonist in the Intelligence Department. He was asked by the French Intelligence Department to go to Coxyde-les-Bains, near Ostende to cover the activity of their Poilus in the region. He then proceeded, as had Kipling, to visit the front at Verdun, where he was accompanied by General Mangin.
   

2. His resulting cartoons were published in the Bulletin des Armées and several British publications. The Italian Front was next, followed by a request by the American Propaganda Department to visit the newly-arrived American troops in Neufchateau. Bruce was very impressed by the Yanks – ‘I knew Germany hadn’t a chance’, he reported. By the time the Armistice had been declared in November 1918 Bruce had also visited Australia and the USA, where he was to become a frequent visitor after the War.”
   

In April 1915 he was badly wounded and had to be sent home. Whilst convalescing his memories were still ravaged by the atrocities of war. Yet he understood the effect of this on soldiers’ morale. He therefore took it upon himself to break this pain and sketched and wrote satirically about it. The cartoons, called Fragments From France, were published in The Bystander magazine.

In 1921, with the war over, he left Stratford and became a landscape artist. He rented a studio in Knightsbridge.

In 1898 the great Major Thomas Bairnsfather (1859–1944) left India and moved to Westward Ho! In 1904 he decided to buy Victoria Spa (see shortcut above). He renamed it Victoria Lodge. His son, Bruce (1887–1959) was coming of age soon and so was sent to Army School in Trinity College, Church Street. He didn’t qualify for Sandhurst so was sent into Royal Warwickshire Regiment Militia. However it “bored him to tears” and so to the disappointment of his military father, resigned 18 months later. Wanting a break he went to the John Hassall School of Art in Earls Court.

However, sketching was never going to pay so he took up work atthe Benson Company for a time then moved to Spensers Electrical Engineers.

“The Old Bill”

Bruce’s clever cartoons had become well known by all Allied forces. One of his war series was about a Policeman called “Old Bill”, based upon regimental colleague LC Thomas Rafferty. To this day the proprietors of Stratford’s Victoria Spa (shortcut above) remind people that this nickname for the Police generally came from him. There was a side-kick called “Little Alfie.”

Book Spawns Musicals in UK & USA

Bruce wrote a book called “The Better ‘Ole” based upon Old Bill -its humour made it a best seller. Starting in 1917 a musical based on the book opened in London and ran for 811 performances. Not only that but it hit New York and eventually Broadway staring Charles Coburn (whose plaque was placed near the start of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1960). This totted up 353 performances.

Further Spin-offs

In 1924 the film “Old Bill Through The Ages” became popular. Bruce was now getting a got good income. Coming a bit more up to date of course one cannot forget the gutty ITV Police series called “The Bill”.

First British ‘Talkie’

In 1927 Bruce worked on one of the first British films that carried sound.

To return to Master Page click on ‘Prominent People’ above.

He was good on his feet and one of their many jobs was to install stage lighting. They got the contract to do so for the RSC (see below). It can’t have been a coincidence that for big shows he offered to operate it.

He’d always been good at sketching and, still creative, he turned his hand to designing and painting the sets there.

Furthermore he saw himself in front of the lights occasionally so worked also as a touring comedian.

In 1914 Spencer’s sent him to Newfoundland to sort out a malfunctioning machine and during his journey back to Liverpool the Great War broke out. Oh woe - he was back to square one..

WORLD WAR I

SPIN-OFFs:   THE  CARRY ONs  ?   ITV’s THE BILL ?   BALDRICK  ?

WORLD WAR II MUCH EASIER FOR HIM

Carry On, Sergeant

In 1928 he wrote and directed the film Carry On, Sergeant (see further above) which was a about a sordid war time clandestine love affair. Whilst this is not the 1958 first ‘Carry On’ comedy film by Norman Hudis one cannot but compare those bumbling characters with those of Bruce’s Old Bill.

At The Forefront In Peacetime

In 1936 Bruce took part in the BBC’s early Alexandra Palace television transmissions. Old Bill continued to appear in numerous books and plays. That same year he completed his autobiography Wide Canvas.

Of the same name but not written by Bairnsfather

Less than ¼ mile from the German trenches

Rudyard Kipling with King George V

When WWII broke out Bairnsfather was 52 and living at Cresswell House in Clun, Shropshire. He continued to produce Old Bill cartoons but was not asked to serve in the British war effort. Instead, he became official cartoonist to the American forces in Europe, contributing to the American propaganda newspapers Stars and Stripes and Yank. He also drew cartoons at American bases and noses of aircraft. He is said to have influenced Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Mauldin.

He toured America and Canada eventually retiring to Colwall, Worcestershire.

Some have even compared Ben Elton’s anti-hero Baldrick with Old Bill.