Bairnsfather, Bruce (1888 – 1959)

Bruce Bairnsfather original cartoon artwork.

While on the Western Front, Bruce Bairnsfather drew pictures of trench life and in 1915 The Bystander magazine began publishing his drawings. Bairnsfather's work was popular with the soldiers in the trenches. In April 1915, Bairnsfather was badly wounded by a shell explosion. He was taken back to England and his doctors diagnosed him as suffering from shellshock. While in hospital, The Bystander commissioned him to do a weekly drawing for the magazine. It was during this period that Bairnsfather created his famous cartoon character, Old Bill. During the Second World War, Captain Bairnsfather was appointed as an official cartoonist to the American Forces in Europe. This included contributing drawings for the American Forces newspaper, Stars and Stripes.