Rex Barker has kindly lent the two PUV cartoons by Liquid Dave to the editor. You may well wonder what PUV has to do with Cyril Seaton? I’ll try to put them up here sometime for you to view.
Rex writes…‘Whilst undertaking some Seaton research in LA for the Seaton Family Estate, I recently uncovered four previously unknown Seaton ‘Anans’ in Jingo’s Bookshop. (Rex recommends that you pay a visit to Jingo’s when you are next in LA.) The scripts have been authenticated, ‘genuine’ by Brian Townsman (New Jersey Institute of Forensic Science). The four fragile paper works are all hand written in pencil and are considered being early examples of Seaton ‘Ananisms’
We have now established that the first ‘Anans’ were composed during December 1916. Seaton, a communications officer in the Sherwood Foresters regiment was billeted in Verdun and he saw action in the trenches near Damloup; translating and relaying information between the British sector (North West France) and the French sector. The first ‘Anans’ are written retorts and I believe that through writing them Seaton began to explore and to express his growing anxiety. They are the first signs that Seaton’s mental condition was becoming both Surreal (influenced by the landscape) and irrational (living amongst carnage and misery). As Cyril writes in his Christmas letter home to his mother, dated December 18th 1916…
‘Out of stillness and serenity, the lull and the inactivity, the fiery mantra of Rat-a-tat-tat bursts from somewhere…into nowhere…it is not I that pierces the silence…it is they…testing our defences…we in return will be testing there’s! I loathe the metallic rattling sound; equally I loathe the pauses in between the angry, wasteful bursts of fire…is that it? Is there more to come…and more…and more…and…’
At the back of Jingo’s is a door that leads into an annex (there are I like to believe doors like this in all good bookshops.) The annex: full to bursting, stack upon stack of twisted and compressed cardboard boxes. In the first instance nothing caught my eye except the gorged space that I stood in. I walked in amongst the more accessible stacks and in one such stack several boxes caught my eye; simply two Hershey Chocolate packing cartons, circa 1970’s…I had to have a look inside…an hour later I had access…I opened them in turn…in the second box were a bundle of envelopes, one of their number an official looking manila envelope, it had typed upon it Seaton’s address. I looked at the contents: inside the four ‘Anans’; paper clipped to them the two printed PUV cartoons cut out from the pages of ‘Brand’. I knew immediately they were by the Acid cartoonist, Liquid Dave…Dave knew Seaton…another connection had been firmly established.
Rex Barker (January 2009)
A book of Seaton’s ‘Anans’ is due to be compiled and published in 2010.
Hi Jenny…yep will do…a question of copy write at the mo. Seaton is going to be a gold mine in the future and everything to do with Seaton has to go though stringent authenticated processes. I believe any cartoon by Liquid Dave has already increased in value because of the Seaton connection…one sold on ebay a fortnight ago for over £300. Out of interest if there is any one out there that could do some research on LD then please let us know. May be a Wiki page may help in the future. All I know was that LD became a real 100% smack head, spent some time inside for attempted murder of his wife/lover? Lived in NYC for a while and that’s about it…a regular kind of guy.
The Seaton Family Estate has granted me permission to publish this important Seaton letter.
To Mother,
My company is now in the general reserve trench at a distance of 800 to 2000 yards away from the enemy’s. These few precious moments that I am utilising in writing to you are my first spare moments for five days. I am delighted to tell you I have received the parcel of Chocolates, toffee and socks. We got our parcels at night time as all day long German shells and bullets have bombarded us. Every time that you raise your head in these trenches you get a darned bullet aimed at it, we keep our heads well down. It has been a fortnight since we were far enough away from the enemy to sleep with our boots off and putties. During the past two weeks we have never been further away than five miles from the Germans. I cannot remember the last time I had a shave I have had two changes of linen since I have been out. I am continually digging trenches under shellfire and rifle fire so now I will relate to you what my platoon has been doing. I am unable to go into too much detail what I have been up to, this is in case the Germans over run our lines and get hold of any information that is useful to them.
September 22nd
After advancing a good way came up to the German real positions. The Brigade went into the field whist artillery went into action to draw any German fire. After our artillery had been firing the Germans started also. Our guns were close to us and the first German shells nearly found their range and us. This however gave us the information that we required and our brigade was deployed in all directions to deal with them. We drove them back a good way and then we dug trenches along the line of the road. At nightfall we left the trenches to advance further. We went for about half a mile through turnip fields under a hail of bullets. We made firing line trenches on the crest of a slope gradually digging ourselves in as we lay there. As night came on the fun began. Eight hundred yards away were the Germans. They lit big bon-fires all around to protect them from attack. The sight will be one that I shall never forget.
At about eight 0’clock at night there was such a noise, the blowing of bugles and whistles for about an hour. The Germans were doing a mock attack, in short – trying to frighten us by making us think there were more of them than really was the case. This did nothing of the sort and we fixed bayonets to do a charge, which I am pleased to say we did not do as the distance separating us was too far. At about eleven that evening several of us, owners of brass musical instruments set about playing to the Germans a most riotous German Folk tune as badly as we could. Naturally they did not take too kindly to it and opened fire upon us. They stopped after about five minutes. I guess they needed to let us know of there distaste for our fan fare. We started up again once more for a brief encore.
September 23rd
We were relived out of our firing line trench in the early morning and dug some more trenches half a mile in the real under shellfire all day.
September 24th
We were relieved from that position to go to another ‘Hot spot’ right of our previous position.
September 25th
All day we were hanging on to advance through a wood a mile long. At night I lead the chaps through an estate in roundabout way: Pouring with rain. I dropped off to sleep and unfortunately lost my section in the dark. The rattle of fire woke me and found I was alone with bullets whizzing all around me, momentarily I had no idea where I was. At last I came to a path that I recognised and after going a quarter of a mile I was challenged to ‘Halt’ I was relieved that I had come back to our own lines.
September 26th
Dug in near a white house near to where I got lost the previous night. We have been shelled all day; this is what happens if you put us close to a big white building! At 4 o’clock I had a narrow escape. I went to fill my water bottle at a near by house. Whilst I was gone my kit was riddled with shrapnel and I have no doubt that if I had been in my trench I should not be writing this letter. Stopped in the same trench for two nights and a day.
September 27th
After being relieved from the previous trenches we should have had a days rest, but the Germans were pressing hard so we moved to a new advanced position. The same night I received your parcel and it cheered me up somewhat.
September 28th
The Germans made an attack and broke through the firing line that we had occupied the two nights of 26th & 27th. I don’t know how they got around our men. Any way the whole line retired with hordes of Germans after them. We were hurried forward to try and stop them if they came too far, in haste we dug trenches and I went forward to undertake some scouting in a wood close by. About half an hour later I came running back towards our line, the enemy were advancing in droves about 600 yards away on my right. In my retreat I picked up your parcel and kit and ran with the rest of the men in what we hoped was the right direction. We were in danger of being surrounded. I thought my time was up and as I had your parcel I started to eat the Chocolate. I made up my mind that if they got me they were most certainly not going to get the parcel as well. After dinner time we sent them back and they left about 1000 men for us to bury.
September 29th
Still in the same trench as the previous night and experienced the heaviest artillery fire so far. As I lay in the trench I counted over sixty shells in half an hour. At about ten o’clock the Germans began advancing three fields away. We could see them coming out of a wood. We held off firing until they got as close as three hundred yards away. They continued to advance unaware that we were so close to them. It was fortunately a short fire fight as one of our chaps opened fire and bowled a German over; the rest came no closer and retreated. The artillery shells started up again and I am sitting here now writing this letter whilst hell breaks loose all around. It’s raining again.
Well mother I sign off now; hopefully there will be some respite soon if not from the rain but from the shell fire. I would be most grateful if you could post me out 1000 Wills’ Wild Woodbines in your next parcel to me.
September 30th 2.15am
The rain has stopped as so has the shellfire, it was horrendous evening. Shortly after twelve we were ordered to take positions on the firing step, I really thought we were going over the top; fortunately it was just to enfilade the enemy to make them think twice about doing the same. Several rounds later we stood down. I have the most shocking headaches, and I seem irritated by everything, I am tired of this entire mess. Mother when will it end?
It would appear that a source of so called ‘T’ shirts, and what a crass devaluation of one of the most noble letters in our sacred alphabet that is, has appeared and been made available through those ubiquitous ‘links’ now littering our virtual world (one fears for a time when we shall stumble upon same in the street) and, gentle readers, the said ‘T’ shirts appear to be available through clicking directly upon the photographic images you have so carefully provided here.
I hope this information is of some interest and that my short, but not sharp in any manner, missive finds you all well.
I am, as the Good Lord can attest, more yours than mine
Dear Seatonists,
Rex Barker has kindly lent the two PUV cartoons by Liquid Dave to the editor. You may well wonder what PUV has to do with Cyril Seaton? I’ll try to put them up here sometime for you to view.
Rex writes…‘Whilst undertaking some Seaton research in LA for the Seaton Family Estate, I recently uncovered four previously unknown Seaton ‘Anans’ in Jingo’s Bookshop. (Rex recommends that you pay a visit to Jingo’s when you are next in LA.) The scripts have been authenticated, ‘genuine’ by Brian Townsman (New Jersey Institute of Forensic Science). The four fragile paper works are all hand written in pencil and are considered being early examples of Seaton ‘Ananisms’
We have now established that the first ‘Anans’ were composed during December 1916. Seaton, a communications officer in the Sherwood Foresters regiment was billeted in Verdun and he saw action in the trenches near Damloup; translating and relaying information between the British sector (North West France) and the French sector. The first ‘Anans’ are written retorts and I believe that through writing them Seaton began to explore and to express his growing anxiety. They are the first signs that Seaton’s mental condition was becoming both Surreal (influenced by the landscape) and irrational (living amongst carnage and misery). As Cyril writes in his Christmas letter home to his mother, dated December 18th 1916…
‘Out of stillness and serenity, the lull and the inactivity, the fiery mantra of Rat-a-tat-tat bursts from somewhere…into nowhere…it is not I that pierces the silence…it is they…testing our defences…we in return will be testing there’s! I loathe the metallic rattling sound; equally I loathe the pauses in between the angry, wasteful bursts of fire…is that it? Is there more to come…and more…and more…and…’
At the back of Jingo’s is a door that leads into an annex (there are I like to believe doors like this in all good bookshops.) The annex: full to bursting, stack upon stack of twisted and compressed cardboard boxes. In the first instance nothing caught my eye except the gorged space that I stood in. I walked in amongst the more accessible stacks and in one such stack several boxes caught my eye; simply two Hershey Chocolate packing cartons, circa 1970’s…I had to have a look inside…an hour later I had access…I opened them in turn…in the second box were a bundle of envelopes, one of their number an official looking manila envelope, it had typed upon it Seaton’s address. I looked at the contents: inside the four ‘Anans’; paper clipped to them the two printed PUV cartoons cut out from the pages of ‘Brand’. I knew immediately they were by the Acid cartoonist, Liquid Dave…Dave knew Seaton…another connection had been firmly established.
Rex Barker (January 2009)
A book of Seaton’s ‘Anans’ is due to be compiled and published in 2010.
Bob Roger said this on February 7, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Hi Bob,
make it soon…I collect Liqid Dave cartoons and I’d love to see them.
Jenny
Jenny said this on February 7, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Hi Jenny…yep will do…a question of copy write at the mo. Seaton is going to be a gold mine in the future and everything to do with Seaton has to go though stringent authenticated processes. I believe any cartoon by Liquid Dave has already increased in value because of the Seaton connection…one sold on ebay a fortnight ago for over £300. Out of interest if there is any one out there that could do some research on LD then please let us know. May be a Wiki page may help in the future. All I know was that LD became a real 100% smack head, spent some time inside for attempted murder of his wife/lover? Lived in NYC for a while and that’s about it…a regular kind of guy.
bob said this on February 9, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Hi Bob, Hi Rex,
Thanks for putting up a LD Cartoon…more please!
jenny said this on April 6, 2009 at 10:20 am
The Seaton Family Estate has granted me permission to publish this important Seaton letter.
To Mother,
My company is now in the general reserve trench at a distance of 800 to 2000 yards away from the enemy’s. These few precious moments that I am utilising in writing to you are my first spare moments for five days. I am delighted to tell you I have received the parcel of Chocolates, toffee and socks. We got our parcels at night time as all day long German shells and bullets have bombarded us. Every time that you raise your head in these trenches you get a darned bullet aimed at it, we keep our heads well down. It has been a fortnight since we were far enough away from the enemy to sleep with our boots off and putties. During the past two weeks we have never been further away than five miles from the Germans. I cannot remember the last time I had a shave I have had two changes of linen since I have been out. I am continually digging trenches under shellfire and rifle fire so now I will relate to you what my platoon has been doing. I am unable to go into too much detail what I have been up to, this is in case the Germans over run our lines and get hold of any information that is useful to them.
September 22nd
After advancing a good way came up to the German real positions. The Brigade went into the field whist artillery went into action to draw any German fire. After our artillery had been firing the Germans started also. Our guns were close to us and the first German shells nearly found their range and us. This however gave us the information that we required and our brigade was deployed in all directions to deal with them. We drove them back a good way and then we dug trenches along the line of the road. At nightfall we left the trenches to advance further. We went for about half a mile through turnip fields under a hail of bullets. We made firing line trenches on the crest of a slope gradually digging ourselves in as we lay there. As night came on the fun began. Eight hundred yards away were the Germans. They lit big bon-fires all around to protect them from attack. The sight will be one that I shall never forget.
At about eight 0’clock at night there was such a noise, the blowing of bugles and whistles for about an hour. The Germans were doing a mock attack, in short – trying to frighten us by making us think there were more of them than really was the case. This did nothing of the sort and we fixed bayonets to do a charge, which I am pleased to say we did not do as the distance separating us was too far. At about eleven that evening several of us, owners of brass musical instruments set about playing to the Germans a most riotous German Folk tune as badly as we could. Naturally they did not take too kindly to it and opened fire upon us. They stopped after about five minutes. I guess they needed to let us know of there distaste for our fan fare. We started up again once more for a brief encore.
September 23rd
We were relived out of our firing line trench in the early morning and dug some more trenches half a mile in the real under shellfire all day.
September 24th
We were relieved from that position to go to another ‘Hot spot’ right of our previous position.
September 25th
All day we were hanging on to advance through a wood a mile long. At night I lead the chaps through an estate in roundabout way: Pouring with rain. I dropped off to sleep and unfortunately lost my section in the dark. The rattle of fire woke me and found I was alone with bullets whizzing all around me, momentarily I had no idea where I was. At last I came to a path that I recognised and after going a quarter of a mile I was challenged to ‘Halt’ I was relieved that I had come back to our own lines.
September 26th
Dug in near a white house near to where I got lost the previous night. We have been shelled all day; this is what happens if you put us close to a big white building! At 4 o’clock I had a narrow escape. I went to fill my water bottle at a near by house. Whilst I was gone my kit was riddled with shrapnel and I have no doubt that if I had been in my trench I should not be writing this letter. Stopped in the same trench for two nights and a day.
September 27th
After being relieved from the previous trenches we should have had a days rest, but the Germans were pressing hard so we moved to a new advanced position. The same night I received your parcel and it cheered me up somewhat.
September 28th
The Germans made an attack and broke through the firing line that we had occupied the two nights of 26th & 27th. I don’t know how they got around our men. Any way the whole line retired with hordes of Germans after them. We were hurried forward to try and stop them if they came too far, in haste we dug trenches and I went forward to undertake some scouting in a wood close by. About half an hour later I came running back towards our line, the enemy were advancing in droves about 600 yards away on my right. In my retreat I picked up your parcel and kit and ran with the rest of the men in what we hoped was the right direction. We were in danger of being surrounded. I thought my time was up and as I had your parcel I started to eat the Chocolate. I made up my mind that if they got me they were most certainly not going to get the parcel as well. After dinner time we sent them back and they left about 1000 men for us to bury.
September 29th
Still in the same trench as the previous night and experienced the heaviest artillery fire so far. As I lay in the trench I counted over sixty shells in half an hour. At about ten o’clock the Germans began advancing three fields away. We could see them coming out of a wood. We held off firing until they got as close as three hundred yards away. They continued to advance unaware that we were so close to them. It was fortunately a short fire fight as one of our chaps opened fire and bowled a German over; the rest came no closer and retreated. The artillery shells started up again and I am sitting here now writing this letter whilst hell breaks loose all around. It’s raining again.
Well mother I sign off now; hopefully there will be some respite soon if not from the rain but from the shell fire. I would be most grateful if you could post me out 1000 Wills’ Wild Woodbines in your next parcel to me.
September 30th 2.15am
The rain has stopped as so has the shellfire, it was horrendous evening. Shortly after twelve we were ordered to take positions on the firing step, I really thought we were going over the top; fortunately it was just to enfilade the enemy to make them think twice about doing the same. Several rounds later we stood down. I have the most shocking headaches, and I seem irritated by everything, I am tired of this entire mess. Mother when will it end?
Love
Cyril
Rex Barker said this on April 10, 2009 at 12:42 pm
A copy of Seaton’s signing up papers
cyrilseaton said this on April 10, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Dear Bob, Jenny, Rex and Cyril,
It would appear that a source of so called ‘T’ shirts, and what a crass devaluation of one of the most noble letters in our sacred alphabet that is, has appeared and been made available through those ubiquitous ‘links’ now littering our virtual world (one fears for a time when we shall stumble upon same in the street) and, gentle readers, the said ‘T’ shirts appear to be available through clicking directly upon the photographic images you have so carefully provided here.
I hope this information is of some interest and that my short, but not sharp in any manner, missive finds you all well.
I am, as the Good Lord can attest, more yours than mine
T.S.T
cyrilseaton said this on April 15, 2009 at 4:22 pm