Caricatures Of Brig. Gen. G K Cockerill & Brg Gen J B Broughton 1918

[leigh kitchen]

I've had these two little paintings for a few years, but never bothered to research artist or subjects.

Doing it now, a "google" reveals this entry on an antquarian book sellers site:

http://www.peterharringtonbooks.com/stock_47181.asp

Author: (COCKERILL, G[eorge] K., Brigadier-General) HUNT, C.

Title: Brigadier-General G. K. Cockerill, C. B.

Published: 1918

Excellent contemporary caricature showing Cockerill in uniform, gloves and cane in his right hand, striding forward, his great coat streaming behind him. Cockerill (1867-1957) was a long-time intelligence officer, and one of the most innovative thinkers in British intelligence in World War I. Head of M. O. 5 - which became M.I.5 - the Special Intelligence Section of the General Staff at the outbreak of the War, he organized postal censorship, and carried out “a revolution at the lower and middle levels of the military bureaucracy. Despite great opposition from traditionally-minded generals, Cockerill effected the first extensive use of propaganda by the War Office at any time in the country's history. Cockerill's chief contribution was a refinement of the art of mass propaganda. He conducted this mainly through the propaganda leaflet, smuggled behind enemy lines and dropped over enemy troops from aeroplanes and large balloons. It became an increasingly potent weapon as the Great War proceeded.” (Messenger - “An inheritance worth remembering: The British approach to official propaganda during the First World War,” Historical Journal of Film, Radio & Television; 1993) Appealing portrait of one of the progenitors of modern psyops. We have been unable finally to identify the artist “C. Hunt”, but he seems to have been a fairly prolific cartoonist, 1890 - 1920, in peace-time specializing in sporting subjects, jockeys and golfers in particular.

Water-colour caricature (sheet size 320 × 230 mm, figure 160 mm tall), signed and dated “C. Hunt, ‘18”. Light paper-toning, colour unfaded, very good framed and glazed.

Other than the reference to the date being "18" rather than "1918", this description sounds very much like the painting I have - it sounds like C. Hunt did painted more than one of these caricature of Brigadier General Cockerill.

[leigh kitchen]

And here's the one of Brigadier General Wroughton:

A reference to Wroughton can be found here on The Shot at Dawn site, refering to the mutiny at Blargies in 1916 & ensuing executions:

http://www.janpieterchielens.be/shotatdawn/page30.html

A reminder of the realities of the time that takes the humour out of the caricature:

The sheer volume of papers requiring Haig's attention suggests it was most unlikely he devoted much time to courts-martial decisions. Circumstantially, therefore the decision to execute Lewis was initially decided by Colonel J.B. Wroughton, Assistant Adjutant General, GHQ Personal Services. Though a trained barrister, Wroughton's contribution was informed by his key responsibility, to control the troops, as opposed to the contribution of Brigadier Gilbert Mellor, Deputy Judge Advocate General, whose task was to vet the legal aspects of the proceedings and confirmation of sentences.

At least notionally, Wroughton would have reviewed the sentences in the light of three criteria applied by all confirming officers. These consisted of the convicted man's character, performance in combat and the state of morale in his unit.

However, Lewis and Braithwaite were the most articulate recidivists who were judged to have initiated two of three confrontations that had occurred in the space of a fortnight. Lewis, an old soldier who had originally enlisted in 1908, would have been considered as having no excuse for breaching regulations.

Aside from morbid equity, Braithwaite's death may also be taken as a move on Wroughton's part to demonstrate that service in France demanded more rigorous levels of obedience from colonials than those that had prevailed during their previous service in Egypt.

Aside from location and the collective sense of grievance, what occurred at Blargies involved claims by the prisoners for equal treatment and a measure of recognition that even soldiers under sentence were entitled to negotiate to improve their conditions.

The negotiations that ensued may be interpreted in two ways. Either as a cynical exercise by the authorities to identify ringleaders and kill them or negotiations that broke the prisoners' exclusion from the officers' monopoly of decision-making.

In either case, the potency of the collective protest did not lie in the violence of prisoners' intervention but in their potential to develop a representative structure to advance their bargaining beyond the confines of the prison.

It was the latter that contributed to Wroughton's endorsement of the executions and the development of a policy aimed at segregating Australians from other prisoners.

Edited August 1, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[Mervyn Mitton]

Leigh - in the later part of the 19th. C. there was a famous magazine called - 'Vanity Fair'. Can't remember if it was weekly or, monthly - but, every issua had a full page caricature of famous people. Usually Services or, politicians. The artist was 'SPY' and they became famous and valuable. I think your two very good caricatures are in the style of Spy - who was probably long dead by WW1. Do you know where they were published. If you could prove a link to this magazine then they would be quite valuable.

[Stuart Bates]

Great caricatures Leigh. I have a couple - the best being one of Wolseley from Vanity Fair 1874, which I use in my book on the Wolseley helmet (shameless I know).

Vanity Fair was published weekly from 1868 to 1914 so I doubt that this is the source of your caricatures.

Spy was the pseudonym of Sir Leslie Matthew Ward 1851-1922 and he worked for Vanity Fair until 1911. He replaced Ape at VF who was the resident cartoonist and did my Wolseley caricature.

There was a C.M. Hunt but he seems to have been an American and bio details I could not find.

Stuart

[Guest Rick Research]

"C. Hunt" would be Cecil Arthur Hunt, M.A., LL.B, in 1935 "Vice-President R.W.S."

Born Torquay 1873, Barrister at the Inner Temple but ceased practice of law in 1919--

"Water colours in permanent collections: British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum... exhibitor , oils and watercolours at R.A. ... illustrator of Dartmoor Novels (Widecombe edition) by Eden Phillpotts...

Employed at the Home Office, 1916-19, first in connection with the Irish prisoners interned in England after the Sinn Fein Rebellion, and subsequently assisting Home Office Committee for Employment of Conscientious Objectors,,,"

British 1935 edition of "Who's Who?"

[Stuart Bates]

Who's Who! Brilliant.

Who would have thought of it? At £295 not many. But I will locate a copy from an earlier time, rather than pay that amount for the 2009 edition even if it includes online access.

Stuart

.

[leigh kitchen]

Just caught up with this thread again, thanks for the info