Anecdotes of the great war, gathered from European sources
History
Anecdotes of the great war, gathered from European sources
World War, 1914-1918 -- Humor, caricatures, etc.
“Please, sir, can you tell us which general it is who is in this
hospital?”
“General?” replied the man. “I don’t know of any general in this
hospital.”
“Oh, yes, sir—look for yourself,” cried all the boys together.
The man fixed his gaze on the sign and read, “General Lying-In
Hospital.”
GENTLE HINT
A woman who had had four stalwart soldiers billeted on her endeavored
to use as little butcher meat as possible. Day after day there was
served at the dinner time a scanty meal, the chief item of which was
tea.
“Ah,” she said one day, pointing to a tea leaf floating in one of the
cups, “there’s to be a visitor today.”
“Well, madam,” said one of the hungry four, “let us hope that it’s the
butcher!”
SOMETHING JUST AS GOOD
The number of famous literary men who are now serving in his majesty’s
forces is so great that the happy idea has been conceived of publishing
a book, the contributors to which are all celebrated authors who have
become soldiers.
Among the long list of names to be found in the volume, one of the best
known is that of A. E. W. Mason, the novelist.
Formerly Mr. Mason was a member of Parliament, and he tells of a man
who wrote a certain M. P. asking for a ticket of admission to the
gallery of the house of commons.
The M. P. wrote back saying that he was very sorry that he could not
send the ticket because the gallery was closed.
The next day he was astonished to receive from the stranger the
following note: “As the gallery is closed, will you please send me six
tickets for the zoo?”
NOT ON THE MENU
A gentleman in khaki, just back from France, rambled into a restaurant.
After glancing over the bill of fare, he looked around the room for a
waiter.
“Yes, sir,” said the waiter, sliding over in response to his call with
a glass of water and a napkin.
“Tell me, waiter,” remarked the soldier, “have you got frogs’ legs?”
“No, sir,” was the rather unexpected answer; “it is rheumatism that
makes me walk like this!”
DYE IS SCARCE
Gen. Joffre’s quiet humor is typified in a story which comes from the
trenches. Some members of the general’s staff were discussing the
number of officers whose hair had turned from jet black to white since
the war began, and they had decided to their own satisfaction that the
cause was to be found in the mental strain. Gen. Joffre was asked for
his opinion, and, while agreeing with the conclusion arrived at by his
officers, naively added that it was also very difficult in war time to
obtain the toilet accessories to which one was accustomed in times of
peace!
THE HERO
First Tramp—“You seem very ’appy abaht it. Wot’s up?”
Second Tramp (reading Mr. Asquith’s Guildhall speech)—“’Ere’s me bin
goin’ wivout luxuries all this time, an’ I’ve only jus’ found out that
I’ve bin ’elpin’ the country to win this war.”
NEEDED A BRACER
During the recent fighting along the banks of the Aisne a man was badly
wounded. The Ambulance Corps tenderly placed him on a stretcher.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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