“DIE-LAUGHING”

War Time Humour By George Korankye

The book relates to war time humour and covers a period from the First World War to the current troubles in Iraq. The initial idea was conceived because of my role as a radiographer. Working in a hospital setting it soon became clear that laughter made people who were facing traumatic situations relax. This led to reminiscing about the most traumatic situations that the human race had ever faced. This was WW1. To develop this theme and to establish whether there was a market for a publication about war time humour, newspapers and editors were contacted and asked if they could appeal to their readers for humorous satires, anecdotes, etc. This appeal was successful. Enough real life stories were received to enable two volumes to be written. The media attention has been tremendous and several hundred people who sent in stories already want to know when the book will be published so that they can obtain a copy. Newspaper editors have also asked to be informed of the publication date.

The book commences with a preface of the results of war. It then relates about the universality of humour, its benefits and how this aspect of human nature is used world wide to cushion adversity. It develops this theme through several chapters. Iconic images such as Kitcheners “Your country needs you” is discussed under the title “The Enduring power of an image”. A chapter informs the reader about the uniqueness of the pivotal date 1914. Chapters cover the armed forces, the role of woman, the home front and blackouts, war’s legacy, remembrance and the future.

In all the chapters, images, poems, satires, “pithy” sayings and anecdotes sent in by ordinary people are featured. In fact one reply was from a member of parliament, such are the variety of responses and materials from individuals who responded. The public have been magnanimous answering with gusto requests for “stories” from all walks of life, social classes, and professions, and from all corners of the UK, including Northern Ireland, The Channel Islands, The Isle of Wright, and even Eire (Southern Ireland) and even from Canada from where a member of the public sent a poem from an ex- POW of Stalag 3. A number of images and poems date as far back as 1914, graphics from scrapbooks kept as family heirlooms were all generously donated. Poems of service men and women from 1914 onwards are featured. These have been scanned and incorporated in the book to give the reader a real feel of authenticity. The reader can actually laugh with people they have hardly known. Genuine stories of the hilarity of people who were about to die will touch readers hearts. So will the stories of women and the struggles they had to cope with while in the workplace that was previously dominated by men

Although a research graduate, a purely academic language has been avoided and a more “friendly tone-conversational-” utilized. This is because the target audience are mostly those of the age range 40- 90 those who lived throughout the war years. That is not to say that other age groups will not be interested. All historical information has been corroborated by meticulous research methods. Consent has been obtained for all quoted letters, articles, etc. The book is being published by Mirage Publishing Newcastle. Anticipated release date is end of October 2008

You can pre-order your copy by clicking on: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Die-Laughing-War-Humour-Present/dp/1902578449/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219158196&sr=1-1