MUM KNOWS BEST

This week recognises the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and of the 182 Victoria Crosses awarded to servicemen in the 2nd World War only one Fighter Pilot received this highest award for gallantry. Flt. Lieut James Nicolson, aged 23 at the time was awarded the VC for ‘Exceptional Gallantry’ during combat duty in August 1940. During the 1st World War 634 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the British & Commonwealth forces, and to date there have been 158 Scottish recipients. This cartoon by A Wallis Mills (1878-1940) highlights the possible reason why the Scottish Regiments are so feared during battle.

Transcript below:



VISITOR: "How delighted you must have been when you heard your son had won the V.C.!"

SCOTCH WIFE: "O ay! I was pleased enough, but I wasna surprised. He stood up to me once!"



THE ARTS

As Shetland’s annual Film Festival ‘Screenplay’ gets underway this week together with the Book Festival ‘Wordplay’ following on closely behind, I thought we would look at how the cartoons of around 100 years ago depicted The Arts and Theatricals. The advent of sound in films was really only introduced in the mid 1920’s but by 1930 Hollywood was almost all ‘talkies’. The world of the celebrity was just about to begin as illustrated in this A. Wallis Mills (1878-1940) cartoon.

Transcript below:

FRIEND: (to Film Star), "Say, there's a bunch of guys outside waiting to be presented to you. Among 'em is a bishop, who says he married you some time since."
FILM STAR: "Gee! I'm practically certain I never married a bishop."

SCHOOLS OUT!

Six weeks or so of  "I'm bored" and various other small crisis as the youngsters are slipped for the Summer Holidays and they go on a variety of adventures. Some of them planned and some unplanned as they all seek a new activity to explore or attempt. In a hundred years little has changed, and while possibly today's children don't necessarily have the same freedom as those of the early 20th century, the end result is often the same. A. Wallis Mills (1878-1940) cartoon depicts a flustered mother's attempt to find her wayward son.

Transcript below:

FLUSTERED LADY: "Have you seen a small boy?"

RECUMBENT GENTLEMAN: "Sandy-haired fat little demon? He's playing by himself near the breakwater."

FLUSTERED LADY: "No; I'm looking for my son __ a golden-haired plump little boy."

RECUMBENT GENTLEMAN: "Oh, I beg your pardon. He's playing by himself near the breakwater."

HAMEFARIN - COONTIN KIN

The trouble sometimes with trying to trace ones ancestors was the tendancy up until very recently to name the newborn after their father, grandfather, mother, grandmother etc. etc. While I wouldn't have had it any other way, four of our own family with exactly the same name were alive and kicking at one time, which was not unusual at all, but did cause the occasional confusion especially at Banks, Building Societies and Christmas time. This was in the days long before computer ID's, PIN numbers or Passwords and the cartoon by A. Wallis Mills (1878-1940) chosen for today highlights a similar circumstance.

Transcript below:

ELIMINATION

                                STRANGER: "Can you tell me where Mr. Tooley lives?"

                                NATIVE: "There's fifteen families o' Tooleys."

                                STRANGER: "Mr Samuel Tooley?"

                                NATIVE: "There's twenty Sam Tooleys."

                                STRANGER: "He is, I believe, a carpenter."

                                NATIVE: "Ten o' em's carpenters."

                                STRANGER: "His age is seventy-eight."

                                NATIVE: "Ah, that must be me. What can I di fur ee?"