Tommy's Life: Out on Rest

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Publisher Gaultier Savigny Location Boulogne Paris Date n/a n/a n/a Cards               Set Long Long Short A wash up in the rest … 1 1 1 As you are supposed to be  … 2 2   Sometimes when you are … 3 3   Ain’t it nice to get into … 4 4 2 A regular carouse of coffee … 5 5 4 It does not take long to … 6 6 3 It looks rather pretty to see … 7 7 5 In every section there is … 8 8 6 Dear Dolly: I am at present … 9 9 7 A comfortable bed at last … 10 10 8

 

OR 1 A wash up in the rest trenches.         British Soldier’s Wash Kit in cloth Holdall Soldiers were expected to be clean shaven, although moustaches were allowed. The toothbrush was universally regarded as the best instrument for cleaning rifles. The soldiers here are enjoying what was commonly known as a “Duck’s Breakfast”.
OR 2 As you are supposed to be resting in a quiet spot, a little light literature goes well.         “Love, The Tyrant” (or, “Where Her Heart Led”) written by Charles Garvice, published 1900 in New York, 1905 in London. Charles Andrew Garvice (24 August 1850 - 1 March 1920) was a prolific and popular author of romance novels in Britain, the United States and translated around the world. By 1913 he was selling 1.75 million books annually, a pace which he maintained at least until his death. Garvice published over 150 novels selling over seven million copies worldwide by 1914. He was ‘the most successful novelist in England’, according to Arnold Bennett in 1910. Despite his enormous success, he was poorly received by literary critics, and is almost forgotten today.
OR 3 Sometimes when you are “out on rest”, you’d almost rather stop in the trenches.         Soldiers typically spent one week in the frontline trenches, followed by one week in reserve, and then one week out on rest. “On Rest” was something of a misnomer for soldiers though as they were often sent out on working parties to maintain trenches and railways. Military railways were constructed hastily by the advancing army. They were essential for transporting supplies and provided much-needed lines of communication.
OR 4 “Ain’t it nice to get into a town once more !”         Jodhpurs Jodhpurs (or breeches) were usually worn by officers, so it is unclear why an infantryman of the Fusiliers is wearing them here. Typically, officers had greater freedom off-duty to go to nearby towns and villages, or on longer leave to visit Paris. When billets were available in civilian houses, officers again had the better conditions. So it is possible that this is a light hearted dig at the perks of being an officer over the regular soldier’s lot.
OR 5 A regular carouse of coffee and fried eggs is one of the things we always have when we get to one of these villages.         British WW1 Haversack      The haversack was typically used to carry a soldier’s gas mark. Once troops had entered a village they were often housed with local families.
OR 6 It does not take long to construct a dainty little “boudoir” for performing one’s toilet.         British Army Souvenir Stable Belt / Trophy Belt      Braces at that time were made of cotton with no 'give' and soldiers allowed them to flop down so that they could bend over easily. However, loosely fitting trousers tended to slip down and so at first soldiers cinched them in with leather belts. Later on the regimental saddlers began to make belts from the same, plain canvas strapping used for the horses and utilizing the same double leather strap and buckle arrangement. In WW1 it became common for soldiers to collect the badges and shoulder titles of various units and secure them to stable belts thus commemorating all those units with which they had contact.
OR 7 It looks rather pretty to see a picture of us at dinner in the yard of one of our billets, doesn’t it?         Billet A term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep.  Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Originally, a "billet" (from the French) was a note, commonly used in the 18th and early 19th centuries as a "billet of invitation." A particular use of the word in this sense is to denote an order issued to a soldier entitling him to quarters with a certain person. From this meaning, the word billet came to be loosely used of the quarters thus obtained.
OR 8 In every section there is at least one musical genius to cheer you up when you feel down-hearted. Generally he plays a penny whistle!         Note the use of chicken wire here to protect the walls and ceiling of the dugout.
OR 9 “Dear Dolly : I am at present staying at a farm, and am in the pink…”         In The Pink = in very good health; in very good condition, physically and emotionally. Often used in a tongue in cheek fashion to indicate that one’s situation, although perhaps basic, is luxurious when compared with the privations of the trenches. Note that Tommy is wearing the shoulder badge of the 23rd (Sportsman’s) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Badges such as this were either removed or darkened before going into the trenches, to reduce visibility to the enemy.
OR 10 A comfortable bed at last!         Note the similarities with the image of a bed-bound Tommy in the Illustrated Letter (Scribner’s Magazine, Sep 1917):

                   

 

 

Set Variants

Five variants of this set have been identified to date: one by Gaultier; and four by Savigny.

Out on Rest Cards	Gaultier			Savigny
	Isore	Long (A)	Long (B)	Long (A)	Long (B)	Short (A)	Short (B)
A wash up in the rest trenches.			1	1	1	1	1
As you are supposed to be resting in a quiet spot …			2	2	2	-	-
Sometimes when you are “out on rest”, you think …			3	3	3	-	-
Ain’t it nice to get into a town once more !			4	4	4	2	2
A regular carouse of coffee and fried eggs …			5	5	5	4	4
It does not take long to construct a dainty little “boudoir” …			6	6	6	3	3
It looks rather pretty to see a picture of us at dinner …			7	7	7	5	5
In every section there is at least one musical genius …			8	8	8	6	6
“Dear Dolly : I am at present staying at a farm …			9	9	9	7	7
A comfortable bed at last!			10	10	10	8	8
Card Thickness (inches)			.0165”	.009”	.0140”	.0125”	.0130”
Reverse
Imp. P. Gaultier, Boulogne-s-Mer. – Ed. P. G. Visé Paris 800			Center	-	-	-	-
Imp. G. Savigny, Paris – P.G.			-	Center	Center	-	-
Paris. – Imp. G. Savigny, 80, rue de Cléry.			-	-	-	Center	Center
Errors / Inconsistencies
Period after “Out on rest” is missing			-	All	All	All	All
Space added “Tommy’ s life”			-	-	All	-
“Out  on  rest” is double spaced			-	All	-	-
Reverse printed upside-down			-	-	-	-	1, 2, 3, 4
Word “on” misspelled as in “Out en rest”			-	-	-	-	1, 4, 6
Word “little” misspelled “litt’e”			-	2	2	-	-
“Tommy’s Life” misspelled “Tomm’ys Life”			-	-	-	-	2, 3, 5
Cards 3 and 4 have been swapped			-	-	-	3, 4	3, 4
Chevrons added to start and end of sentence			-	4	-	2	2
Space added in “does n’t it”			7	-	-	-
Word “at” misspelled in “bed a last”			-	10	-	8	8
Letter “i” in “Pink” is upside down			-	-	-	-	7
Letter “o” missing from “f Tommy’s Life”			-	-	-	-	7
On front, “Vise Paris 800” missing			-	-	-	-	1, 3, 4, 7
On front, “Vise Paris 800” in different font, position			-	All	All	All	All