Thomas, Bert

Bert Thomas (1883-1966) was a noted British cartoonist and illustrator who worked for Punch, the Graphic, and the Bystander, among others. The son of a large monument sculptor, Thomas began with Ally Sloper's Half Holiday before his long association with Punch (1905-1948) and London Opinion (1909-1954). During WWI, Thomas was the official artist for the War Bonds campaign. His most famous cartoon during WWI was "Arf a Mo', Kaiser!", featuring a grinning Cockney Tommy lighting a pipe before engaging the enemy. The cartoon was drawn for the Weekly Dispatch in 1914, as part of the paper's tobacco-for-troops fund, and raised over £250,000!