Raemaekers' Cartoon History of the War, Volume 2 The Second Twelve Months of War — Story, Setting & Ideas

Voice and Editorial Framing

The editor, James Murray Allison, does not remain invisible. His voice emerges in the selection and arrangement of source materials, which range from a German proclamation about deportations from Lille to a French official report on the same events. By placing these documents side by side, Allison invites the reader to compare official narratives. The inclusion of Marie Corelli's impassioned prose from The Sunday Times—with its biblical cadence and condemnation of 'the wickedest war'—further amplifies the emotional register. The editorial voice is consistently partisan, aligning with the Allied cause, yet it avoids direct commentary within the cartoon captions, allowing the juxtapositions to speak for themselves.

Pace and Accumulation of Detail

The volume's pace is driven by the accumulation of specific, often grim, details. The section on the deportations from Lille, for example, includes the exact number of deportees (25,000), their ages (16 to 55), and the military units involved (Infantry Regiment 64). This documentary precision contrasts with the broader symbolic strokes of the cartoons. Similarly, the account of Sir Roger Casement's landing includes the name of the submarine (U-19), the collapsible boat, and the coded message. These concrete facts anchor the reader in historical reality before the cartoon offers a satirical interpretation. The rhythm alternates between dense factual passages and the visual shorthand of the cartoons, creating a staccato effect that mirrors the war's own disjointed progress.

Recurring Imagery and Thematic Threads

Certain motifs recur across the volume, linking disparate events. The figure of the 'Death's Head Hussar' at Verdun is described in the accompanying text as a 'fatal obsession,' a phrase that echoes the earlier depiction of the Kaiser's relentless pursuit of victory. The cartoon 'The Last Throw' is paired with a speech from the Prussian War Minister about 'hammer blows,' reinforcing the image of a nation expending its reserves. The theme of deception runs through several entries: the German proclamation about voluntary work in Lille is immediately contradicted by the French report of forced removal. The reader is trained to look for the gap between official language and actual practice, a gap that Raemaekers' cartoons exploit with savage humor.

Readers approaching this volume should attend to the interplay between the documentary excerpts and the cartoons. The editor's selections are not neutral; they construct a particular narrative of the war. Noting which sources are included—and which voices are absent—reveals the volume's rhetorical strategy. The cartoons themselves reward close reading for their visual symbols and allusions, which often extend beyond the immediate caption. This is a work of propaganda, but one that demands an active, questioning reader.

That grey afternoon, Raemaekers’ furious ink and Allison’s clipped commentary merged into a strange, damp stillness. I kept staring at one cartoon of a shuttered house, and somehow the propaganda’s anger softened into something quieter—the weight behind the lines. Later, idly, I reached for Cartoons on the War — Background and Themes, and found the same shadows, just lit from another angle.