Punch/Volume 147/Issue 3830/History's Repetitions
[It may be interesting to compare modern war items with some which have been culled from our own contemporary records of the past.]
From The Early British Weekly, circ. 50 B.C.:—
The Chief Druid's Fund to provide woad for our gallant troops at the Front continues to progress.
Tried yesterday for flint-and-steel signalling to the enemy, a Roman spy was convicted and axed.
News from Rome continues to show that the capital of the enemy is growing very uneasy. A force of special lictors has been enrolled to keep order in the event of a popular rising.
An account of the fighting by an Eye-Witness with the Headquarters of Cassivelaunus appears on another page.
From The Saxon Chronicle, 878 A.D.:—
King Alfred has given his patronage to a scheme for sending comforts to our troops in the trenches. Contributions are already pouring in, and it is said that the King was particularly touched by a gift of confectionery from the wife of a humble neatherd.
From The Saxon Standard, 1065 A.D.:—
The Norman Lie Factory continues to try to frighten us by means of invasion stories. The latest tale of terror is to the effect that a great army is to be landed at Hastings before we know where we are. We are to be crushed under the mailed fist of Normandy. The General Staff of King Harold can, we think, be trusted to deal with such dangers—when they come.