Guerre

1918 · 211788 — 1918. 9 issues single sheet except Number 6 & 7 which are 4pp. Small 4to. Fine. 9 issues single sheet except Number 6 & 7 which are 4pp. Small 4to. 'We Cannot Tell a Lie'. Printed on board the USS George Washington a German ocean liner seized by the US and converted to a troop transport during WWI The Hatchet a reference to the legend about George Washington and the cherry tree was started in February 1918 to as a diversion for the troops and sailors on board who were making the dangerous Trans-Atlantic crossing. A bend of shipboard gossip and news received via the ship's radio the single-sheet paper was written by officers with literary experience and printed by on a small hand-press by men who had worked in the printing and publishing business. With a print run of 7000 the paper whose motto was "We Cannot Tell a Lie" boasted that it had "The Largest Circulation on the Atlantic Ocean." <br/><br/>Our collection was presented by the ship's chaplain who also doubled as the newspaper's managing editor to banjo player Joe Lorraine. Lorraine was one of the professional semi-professional and amateur players of the American Stage and Lyceum in WWI that followed the American Army through the war and entertained the troops often in areas close to the frontline. Lorraine entertained more than 2000000 soldiers in 650 appearances over 5 months before being invalided for mustard gas exposure and sent home to recuperate. He returned in 1919 with his famous autographed bull neck banjo which had been signed by more than 700 soldiers from most of the major battles of the war. A pen and ink inscription at the head and tail of Vol. 6 No. 1 reads: "Presented to me by the Chaplain of the George Washington Property of Joe Lorraine. These papers were presented on the transport steamer George Washington during the war with Germany. President Woodrow Wilson sailed to and returned from France on this boat.". unknown books