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Cyril Kenneth Bird (Fougasse)   - Please Pass Along the Platform

Please Pass Along the Platform

Cyril Kenneth Bird (Fougasse)   (English, 1887 – 1965)
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License: All public domain files can be freely used for personal and commercial projects.
Why is this image in the public domain?
It was commissioned by the United Kingdom Government prior to 1971
Cyril Kenneth Bird (Fougasse)  

Cyril Kenneth Bird CBE, known by the pen name Fougasse, was a British cartoonist.

He was perhaps best known for his work in Punch magazine (of which he served as editor from 1949 to 1953) and his World War II warning propaganda posters; "Careless talk costs lives" was one of the most popular. He also designed many posters for the London Underground.

Bird was born in London on 17 December 1887, the son of Arthur Bird, a company director. He was educated at Cheltenham College and King's College London (B.Sc.). While at King's College he attended evening art classes at the Regent Street Polytechnic and at the School of Photo-Engraving in Bolt Court.

He was seriously injured at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I and invalided out of the British Army.

Bird first contributed to Punch in 1916, while convalescing, and also contributed to several other British newspapers and magazines, including the Graphic and Tatler. His pen name was based on the fougasse, a type of mine.

As one of the best known cartoonists of the time, he was one of 170 authors who created doll-sized books exclusively for Queen Mary's Dolls' House; his illustrated verse tale, written on postage stamp-sized pages, was published as a regular-sized hardback in 2012 by the Royal Collection and Walker Books.

In the course of the 1920s and 1930s, his drawings evolved from the traditionally representational to an innovative, spare, style that was both unique and popular, featuring in many advertising campaigns as well as in magazine editorial. He became art editor of Punch from 1937 to 1949, then editor until 1953. He was the only cartoonist ever to edit the magazine. During World War II, he worked unpaid for the Ministry of Information, designing humorous but effective propaganda posters including the famous "Careless Talk Costs Lives" series. For this work he was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1946. In 1951 he was elected as Master of the Art Workers' Guild.

He illustrated and co-wrote several humorous books with W. D. H. McCullough. These included the very successful Aces Made Easy – or Pons asinorum in a nutshell, on the subject of contract bridge, in 1934, and You Have Been Warned – A Complete Guide to the Road, in 1935.

In the mid-1950s, he taught at the Christian Science Sunday School in the Sloane Square church, which has since been converted into the Cadogan Hall concert hall. He died in London, aged 77.

Since 2009 his cartoon of a butler carrying a tray has been used to illustrate the front page of British Airways' First Class menus, continuing an association with the airline which goes back to the 1930s when Fougasse penned advertising posters for BA's forerunner, Imperial Airways.

Bird married Mary Holden Caldwell on 16 September 1914.

In Collection: World War II Posters (View all 879)

Check the Identity by the A.B. 64

Check the Identity by the A.B. 64

Abram Games (English, 1914-1996)
Buy Victory Bonds

Buy Victory Bonds

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This Means Delay, This – Victory

This Means Delay, This – Victory

Anonymous
She Was Your Ship Too…

She Was Your Ship Too…

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Venereal Diseases – Delay is Dangerous! 2

Venereal Diseases – Delay is Dangerous! 2

Maurice Bennett (English, 20th Century)
Jenny on the job wears styles designed for Victory

Jenny on the job wears styles designed for Victory (1943)

Kula Robbins
Plan and Grow for Winter – Summer Glut Leaves Winter Short – Take Warning Now and Don’t Get Caught

Plan and Grow for Winter – Summer Glut Leaves Winter Short – Take Warning Now and Don’t Get Caught

Frederick Henri Kay Henrion (German, 1914–1990)
Voulez-Vous un Second Front, Alors, Construisez des Navires de Guerre!

Voulez-Vous un Second Front, Alors, Construisez des Navires de Guerre!

Anonymous
The Dutch Fight on to Victory

The Dutch Fight on to Victory

A. T. Peel (English, 20th Century)
Armoured Cars are Battle Spearhead

Armoured Cars are Battle Spearhead

Anonymous
The Battle for Fuel – Use Up Coal Dust

The Battle for Fuel – Use Up Coal Dust

Anonymous
Headache for Hitler

Headache for Hitler

Anonymous
On the Road to Recovery – Thanks to You Blood Donor

On the Road to Recovery – Thanks to You Blood Donor

Anonymous
Blood Donors Wanted – Your Blood Can Save the Life of Someone…Somewhere

Blood Donors Wanted – Your Blood Can Save the Life of Someone…Somewhere

Anonymous
Careful Packing Aids Victory

Careful Packing Aids Victory

Anonymous
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License: All public domain files can be freely used for personal and commercial projects.
Why is this image in the public domain?
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