Blame Canada

Herbie wuz here Tuesday, February 24, 2004 Project Number: What do you expect of a live fire exercise at the end of the fiscal year, ammunition?

OTTAWA - When Herbie served with the Canadian Army as a private, his antics regularly landed him in newspapers. 'Herbie wuz here' graffiti marked the path of the Canadian advance in 1944. -- National Archives of Canada/1992-604-66 Created by cartoonist William "Bing" Coughlin, the heroic, chinless Herbie became a popular icon at the front in the Second World War. By the end of the war Herbie was appearing in at least 30 daily newspapers across Canada in addition to the Maple Leaf. Troops voted him "Canadian Man of the Year" in 1944, and "Herbie wuz here" graffiti marked the path of the Canadian advance. Herbie came to be so identified with the Canadian infantry private, that Canadian soldiers became known as "Herbies." 'Maybe we should'a painted out the crosses first!' -- National Archives of Canada/1992-604-66 Then, as now, cartoons and caricatures poked fun at the human condition. It was at just such moments that the cartoonist's commentary on military life and discipline often brought a chuckle that relieved tension. Things would often be so bad that, as the saying goes - you had to laugh! Bing Coughlin William "Bing" Coughlin, Member of the Order of the British Empire, was born in Ottawa and saw action in Sicily with the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards. He later served as cartoonist with the Maple Leaf. http://www.army.gc.ca/lf/English/6_1_1.asp?id=99 ~~~http://www.kilroywashere.org/001-Pages/01-0KilroySightings-2.html