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Form at a Glance. WW1, H. M. Bateman cartoon
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Form at a Glance. WW1, H. M. Bateman cartoon
" Form at a Glance: THE VISITOR: Whats his trouble? THE ASYLUM DOCTOR: Oh; hes trying to calculate how many times " Form fours!" has been ordered since the war broke out!" This cartoon by H.M. Bateman comments on the endless attritional warfare on the Western Front, as many had initially expected the War to be over by Christmas 1914. The mathematician in the foreground has seemingly been driven mad trying to work out how many times the soldiers have been ordered to " Form fours!" (a call made by officers for soldiers to join ranks) since the war started two years earlier. Unfortunately for Bateman, it would be another two and a half years before the fighting actually stopped! Date: 1916
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Media ID 14230639
© Estate of H M Bateman/ILN/Mary Evans Picture Library
Asylum Bateman Calculate Crazy Doctor Form Fours Glance Insane Mathematician Visitor
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EDITORS COMMENTS
Form at a Glance: A Haunting Reminder of the Endless Tide of Orders in the Chaos of WWI This poignant and satirical cartoon by renowned British humorist H.M. Bateman, titled "Form at a Glance: THE VISITOR: What's his trouble?" (circa 1916), offers a chilling commentary on the relentless and seemingly endless nature of the First World War. The image captures a mathematician, driven to the brink of insanity, as he frantically attempts to calculate the number of times the order "Form fours!" has been barked out by officers on the Western Front since the war's inception in 1914. The cartoon's setting in an asylum adds an eerie undertone to the scene, as the doctor in the background ponders the madness afflicting the man before him. The soldier in the foreground, with a blank expression, stands rigidly at attention, a stark reminder of the countless soldiers who had been drilled into obedience and submission. The cartoon's caption, "Form at a Glance," is a playful nod to the military term "Formation," which refers to the arrangement of troops in a particular order. The phrase "Form at a Glance" also implies a quick and easy understanding, but in this case, the calculation is anything but simple. The cartoon's creation in 1916, two and a half years into the war, highlights the disillusionment and frustration that had set in among the British public as the war dragged on with no end in sight. The image serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of the war and the psychological toll it took on those who fought in it.
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