CARTOON - INDUSTRIAL WRECKERS
1924This hand drawn black and white cartoon features two men and a cow with a lantern on its head sitting on rocks looking out onto very rough seas. In the water are five steam ships in trouble. The bow of the first ship on the left can be seen slipping under the water. The front right ship is sinking bow first and has the name [AUSTRALIAN COMMERCE] written on its stern . The text written on the back of the left man is [WATERSIDE / STRIKER] and written on the arm of the other man to the right is [JOB CONTROL]. Hand written under the cartoon is [Industrial Wreckers]. Ben Strange’s signature is in black on the left rock.
The associated caption with the cartoon when published in the Western Mail, 24 February 1921, page 4 was:
INDUSTRIAL WRECKERS
Ben Strange was a prominent political cartoonist in Western Australia who worked for the Western Mail from 1898 to 1930. This original cartoon by Ben Strange, was collected by Ivor T Birtwistle who also worked at the Western Mail in the early 1900s.
The cartoon was first published in the Western Mail on 24 February 1921 and was inspired by a series of national and state based industrial strikes that were occurring in the early 1920s. In late 1920 and early 1921 the Stewards Union went on strike causing considerable disruption to interstate steamers. The strike expanded to include seamen, cooks and butchers. The strike ended in February 1921
Ben Strange is using a mixture of classic Greek myth and tales of English ‘Wreckers’ who both tricked ships into dangerous waters to portray the strikers as being harmful to Australia. Ben had been a long time critic of unions behaviour especially during World War I. He saw many of their actions as being harmful to Australian, unpatriotic and a pathway for communism to enter and threaten Australian society.
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The Ben Strange cartoons are historically significant as they depict many key figures linked to the history and development of both Western Australia and Australia. Political figures who regularly appeared in his cartoon’s included John ‘Happy Jack’ Scaddan, the Premier of Western Australia from 1911 until 1916, and William ‘Billy’ Hughes, the Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923.
City of Armadale - History House
City of Armadale - History House
Other items by Ben Strange
- CARTOON - TWO OF A KIND
- CARTOON - CROWD AROUND CAR
- CARTOON - THE ROGUE ELEPHANT
- CARTOON - THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS
- CARTOON - THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF LITTLE NOT WANTED
- CARTOON - SILENCE IS NOT ALWAYS GOLDEN - AND THE LAW MAKES A POOR CUPID
- CARTOON - FINANCIAL RETURN
- CARTOON - EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST
- CARTOON - THREE GOLFERS ON A GOLF COURSE
- CARTOON - YOUR EYES HAVE TOLD ME SO
- CARTOON - ON A GOOD WICKET
- CARTOON - EMPIRE PREFERENCE
More items like this
Other items from City of Armadale - History House
- CARTOON - THE CRUCIFICTION OF REASON
- CARTOON - THE LAW OF THE SUSPECT CALUMNY
- CARTOON - THE WAITS CHRISTMAS 1916
- CARTOON - THE SAME OLD COW ON THE LINE
- CARTOON - LABOUR REFORM
- CARTOON - HIS TROUBLE
- CARTOON - TEMPTING GOOD - A BERLIN SHOWCASE
- CARTOON - A DANGEROUS OCCUPATION
- CARTOON - STARVATION IN EUROPE
- CARTOON - WHEN CONSTABULARY DUTYS TO BE DONE - A POLICEMANS LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE
- CARTOON - A LITTLE BABY WITH A BIG BOTTLE
- CARTOON - THE WATCH DOG