1940: Sartorial equivalence
David Langdon makes a valid point here. The forage cap was rather a ridiculous piece of headgear. I am glad to say that during my National Service it had already been superseded by the beret which was a much simpler garment to wear.
I agree.
I have often wondered, and never yet found out, why both the forage cap and the beret are pulled over to the right side of the head.
The Frogs, of course, wear their berets to the left side.
1942: Troops entertaining each other
Much time was spent in the army when not actually fighting. Entertainment was seen as a way of improving soldiers’ morale. The sergeant, asking for talent, clearly doesn’t understand what is meant by that word. An officer will have told him to ask who has got talent. Anything that would interest or amuse the men would do.
1940: Obsession
For this boy the war has taken control of his mind. His teacher is trying to find another boy who will not be so taken up with planes and destruction. The Battle of Britain was not some piece of fiction: it was real and it was earnest.
1943: Persuasion
By 1943 there was a problem with regard to civilian use of public transport. While not actually preventing people going on recreational journeys the authorities tried hard to discourage such activity. Official journeys could be slow and arduous. In a time of shortages everywhere it was useful if people stayed at home. I recall a poster campaign to persuade people to take their holidays at home.
1937: Ogling a parent
The scene is at a public school (that means a fee paying private boarding school) when PK’s glamorous mother is visiting on an open day. The master is lost for words and can only express surprise that such an ordinary boy should have such an exceptional mother. The visitor doesn’t seem to mind.
It was quite normal in the 1930s for public school products to use the Latin words for father and mother as pater and mater.
enjoyable read over the past pages Mr Magoo , thank you
Hear hear. Please keep them coming!
For me its the explanations that make the cartoons interesting and funny… thanks Mr Magoo 
Especially for us younger ones who are far too young to have been alive in the war years.
Thank you for your kind comments. I do like the odd compliment!
1936: Expert opinion
There seems to be tinge of cynicism in this cartoon. Experts are not always right.
1937: The importance of sport
This little lad is leaving home for the first to take up his place in a Preparatory School. He is very young and his hat has been bought to allow for future growth. This piece of advice offered concerns sport. This accurately reflects that sport is considered very much more important than mere academic learning.
1943: Not preparing well for D Day
This cartoon is taking a light hearted look at the preparations for the invasion of Nazi occupied Europe. The sergeant is unlikely to accept this aid to swimming.
Quackers
1943: Unexploded bomb
Unexploded bombs cause a lot of trouble. Touch them and they might still go off although most of them don’t. Seventy years later they are still being found and still causing major concerns.
1943: Shortages bite even at Christmas
David Langdon is commenting on the all-pervasive effect of shortages. What parents really did was to try and to find simpler, cheaper alternatives as presents. There certainly were many pettifogging rules and regulations.
1943: Mass Production
The scene is a canteen in a huge factory concerned with production in support of the war effort. In the lower part of the picture we see a woman reading a letter in which she is told that she is the only girl in the world. The picture demonstrates that she is nothing of the sort. Of course the writer had meant that to him she is the only girl in the world. But that didn’t stop the cartoonist from producing this picture.
Thanks. I’ve borrowed that to make an anniversary card for my wife (1st May)!
You old honey dripper you.
I had to cross out ‘Mabel’ of course, and add Marge’s real name!
