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Makes you F(i)ume, doesn t it? by Bruce Bairnsfather
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Makes you F(i)ume, doesn t it? by Bruce Bairnsfather
If only OUR National Poet would take Heligoland and refuse to leave it until its ours! Caricature of George Robey (1869-1954), music hall entertainer and comedian, pictured refusing Heligoland. The cartoons comments on Robeys refusal of a knighthood at the end of the First World War (he was awarded the CBE and would accept a knighthood after the Second World War). The supreme war council at Paris decided that fortifications at Heligoland should be dismantled and that it could be restored to Britain who decided to refuse it due to the cost of maintaining the port. Date: 1919
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Media ID 14169154
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Bairnsfather Bruce Comedian Entertainer Heligoland Knighthood Robey
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Makes you F(i)ume, doesn't it?
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: A WWI-era Caricature of George Robey's Defiant Refusal of Heligoland by Bruce Bairnsfather This evocative and humorous print, titled "Makes you F(i)ume, doesn't it?" by renowned British satirical cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather, captures the spirit of post-World War I disillusionment and the tenacity of George Robey, a beloved music hall entertainer and comedian. The cartoon, published in 1919, depicts Robey, with a defiant expression and a pipe clenched between his teeth, standing on the rocky shores of Heligoland, an island in the North Sea. Heligoland, a strategically important port, had been a bone of contention between Germany and Britain throughout history. Following the First World War, the supreme war council at Paris decided that the fortifications at Heligoland should be dismantled, and the island could be restored to Britain. However, the British government, wary of the cost of maintaining the port, decided to decline the offer. Robey, who had been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) at the end of the war, was offered a knighthood but famously refused it at the time. In this print, Bairnsfather cleverly merges these two events, creating a powerful image of Robey's unyielding stance, refusing not only a knighthood but also Heligoland itself. The cartoon serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and contradictions of the post-war era, as well as the enduring spirit of defiance and resistance.
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