WW2 postcards

Valentines “Old Bill Again” Postcards

The “Old Bill Again” series of postcards published during the Second World War by Valentine’s are highly sought after by Bairnsfather collectors today, but there is no record of how many cards were issued, and information on them is virtually non-existent. Hopefully this article will provide some background on the history of these scarce cards, and solve a few unanswered questions about them.

In October 1938, Bruce Bairnsfather began contributing a weekly cartoon to The Bystander magazine, after an absence from their pages of fifteen years. With the prospect of another war looming, Old Bill had plenty to say about the situation, and each of Bairnsfather’s drawings was given a full page in the magazine. Sometime during 1939, the well-known postcard publisher Valentine and Sons Limited, came to an agreement with The Bystander with regard to reproducing a number of

Bairnsfather’s recent cartoons as postcards. It’s not known exactly how many drawings Valentine’s acquired the rights to publish or what the financial terms of the arrangement were, but it’s almost certain that while The Bystander probably made a good profit on the deal, Old Bill’s creator received nothing in connection with it.

It appears that the first Bairnsfather postcards issued by Valentine’s were published towards the end of 1939. This has been determined by the date of original publication of the cartoons used (see below) and the fact that the back of each card bears the number “39.2” in the box over which the stamp was affixed. The purpose of this number is uncertain, but the first two digits are believed to represent the year of production. Although only five cards have been identified from this ‘series’, it is likely that several more were issued at this time.

Printed on good quality glossy card, each card bore a ‘series’ number, printed in white in the bottom left hand corner of the featured cartoon. The numbers used were consecutive, the five known cards in this first series being 5073, 5074, 5075, 5076 and 5077. Bairnsfather’s weekly drawings in The Bystander had been appearing under the title “Old Bill Again” and the Valentine’s postcards also carried this title, possibly a condition of their agreement with the magazine, which also received a credit on the front of the cards.

The five postcards produced in 1939 are all illustrated here. The cartoons depicted were originally published in The Bystander on the following dates: 5073 (9th August 1939); 5074 (14th December 1939); 5075 (13th September 1939); 5076 (28th December 1938) and 5077 (2nd November 1938).

Valentine’s issued further “Old Bill Again” postcards in 1940 (these have the number “40.1” printed in the box on the back), although there were several differences between the two printings. The “Old Bill Again” title and individual caption is printed in a much larger and bolder typeface on the 1940 cards, and the series number for each is on the back of the card instead of being on the actual cartoon. Postcard number 485 also differs in that it has the title “Old Bill on the Home Front” (another alternative used by The Bystander for some of Bairnsfather’s cartoons) instead of “Old Bill Again.” In addition, whereas the earlier cards carried no credit other than the wording “From The Bystander” below the drawing used, all those published in 1940 had a much more informative imprint on the reverse:

VALENTINE’S “OLD BILL AGAIN” POSTCARDS. COPYRIGHT.

FROM THE ORIGINAL BY CAPT. BRUCE BAIRNSFATHER.

VALENTINE & SONS LTD., DUNDEE AND LONDON.

The numbering sequence on the 1940 cards was also quite different. Although still consecutive, a much lower number range was used. The five cards known from this series are 480, 481, 482, 483 and 485. The gap between the last two cards indicates there was at least one other, numbered 484.

The most significant factor about the 1940 cards however, is the cartoons used. Of the five identified cards from this date, two (480 and 483) feature the same drawings previously used on cards 5073 and 5074. The only difference being the later cards have the larger typeface and different imprint etc as described above. This fact suggests that the 1939 series of cards probably originally included all those which appear in the later printing, and likewise the later series was an updated reprint of all the cards published at that date.

The dates of original publication in The Bystander of the three remaining known drawings used by Valentines and identified in this ‘second series’ are: 481 (1st November 1939); 482 (2nd August 1939) and 485 (25th October 1939).

Including the missing number 484 (and based on the supposition this card is identical to one in the known sequence from 1939) this would give a complete series of at least nine cards. As this is an odd number it is highly likely that Valentine’s published a number of others in the series, which have yet to be identified.

Despite enquiries at several major Archives and Libraries holding material on Valentine and Sons during the preparation of this article, I have been unable to locate any material or information of any kind relating to their series of postcards of Bairnsfather cartoons. The information given here is based on my own knowledge of the cards, and close scrutiny of known examples.

If you or have any information regarding the missing Valentine’s card number 484, or any other cards from this series, please e-mail me at mark@brucebairnsfather.org.uk