Winnie the Pooh Goes to War
Much loved illustrator of Winnie the Pooh and Wind and the Willows, EH Shepard, served in the Great War and took his drawing books with him
Review by Rupert Watkins
The House of Illustration is running the first exhibition to be devoted to the Great War drawings of EH Shepard. Over 100 works are on display and many have not been seen before. Already a talented and prodigious contributor to magazines such as Punch, Shepard signed up for service in 1915 and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery, serving with 105 Siege Battery.
His drawings are simple, fluid and wonderfully atmospheric. Spanning the gamut from humourous to poignant, the bulk are plain pencil or ink sketches though there are a couple with a basic wash to add colour. Shepard had the eye to capture those absurd and funny moments in military life, deftly picking up on the darkly black humour and jaunty insouciance of the British soldier. Throughout his time as an Artillery officer, Shepard continued to be one of the serving body of Punch cartoonists and continued to send back drawings from the front for publication; many of these richly caricature “The Hun” (especially his early numbers when still in training) and poke fun at home front warriors.
Shepard served throughout the Somme campaign. His brother was killed in action and Shepard was subsequently able to visit his grave. A clean, otherwise unmarked map but for the symbol of his brother’s grave is an especially poignant display. After service in Western France, his Battery was sent to the Italian Front in late 1917 where Shepard saw out the war finishing a Major, the Battery Commander and having been awarded the Military Cross (MC). His drawings from this period continue to capture the camaraderie of his unit as it fights and entertains itself. The exhibition also displays several letters and belongings of Shepard that saw him through the war. In response to his wife’s letter she had bought some new lingerie, his risqué but beautiful drawing back to her brings to life the frustrations and desires of those far away from and uncertain of seeing their beloved again.
As well as his light-hearted sketches, during his periods in the front line trenches as a forward observer, Shepard also put his draftsman’s skill to work producing some remarkably detailed, fully marked and graticuled panoramas for use to call in artillery fire. Given the accuracy, the environment they were drawn in and the fact one example from the Italian Front is sketched over several pages of a notebook these are testament to his skills with a pencil and as a tactical observer.
Moving into the final room, there are several prototype drawings of The Bear of Enormous Brain (later becoming famous as Winnie the Pooh) already showing the features that would make him so loved by generations of children – and their parents. This is a small but perfectly formed exhibition. Running until January 24th, head to Granary Square as this is a must see. 
Enquiries: The House of Illustration, 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross. N1C 4BH / 0203 6962020 / www.houseofillustration.org.uk/whats-on/current-future-events/eh-shepard-an-illustrators-war