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Herbie

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OK all you Gunners
What is a "Herbie" ? and if you going to answer this please give me some data on this of where you got it from. website would be nice. thanks and have a great Arty Day.

Ubique
 
"Herbie" was a cartoon character drawn by Sgt 'Bing' Coghlin for the Canadian Army's "Maple Leaf" newspaper in Italy.  Eventually, two books were published.  I have some of the cartoons.  Walk down the hall and look in my lower right desk drawer.

;D

Tom
 
Rocky 88 said:
OK all you Gunners
What is a "Herbie" ? and if you going to answer this please give me some data on this of where you got it from. website would be nice. thanks and have a great Arty Day.

Ubique
So i am guessing nobody can help me out hmmm i will have to dig deeper
 
You already got your answer, see TCBF's reply.  Or try Google, if you're not getting it.
 
as mentioned above, Herbie was created by Bing Coughlin - the word has since been used on occasion in the same manner as Tommy described a British soldier.
 
I've wondered this for years (and have asked many, many members both in and out of the Royal Regiment - but no one ever had the answer).  It's one of those things that I've thought of looking up many times (but never when in front of good old Google...).  This thread reminded me, so I did (google it, that is).

With that search, I found this link on the Canadian Encyclopedia website:  http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1SEC817924

"Herbie and this Army," by William Garnet "Bing" Coughlin, first appeared in the Maple Leaf in the spring of 1944 in Naples, Italy. Bing's chinless hero Herbie became a particular icon at the front and "Herbie wuz here" graffitti marked the path of the Canadian advance. In 1944 Herbie was voted "Canadian Man of the Year" by the troops. "Monty and Johnny," by Les Callan, cartoonist at the Toronto Star in civilian life, and "Occupational Oscar and this Doggone Army," by Merle "Ting" Tingley, were also popular. "Ting" became the editorial cartoonist at the London Free Press after the war.
The Canadian Encyclopedia © 2006 Historica Foundation of Canada


Can I ask a bit of advice here?  I've quoted a bit from that article, but I'm new to posting here.  Have I properly quoted it?  If not, please let me know and I'll remove the quote.

thanks,
Mark
 
Thanks troops i thought it meant a dead horse but i cant find any info on that maybe i was searching in the wrong place that's why i tossed out the question to all and see my feed back. thanks again and have a great FAC'ing Day.

UBIQUE
 
Actually, a Herbie was the silver bit of the bridle that was in the mouth of the hourses back in the day when all Artillery was Horse Artillery. It was coined by the British infantry as an insult to the Artillery.

:salute:
 
Don't think so.  The cartoon Herbie was a gunner, hence the name.

I am by no means an expert, though.
 
horsegunner353 said:
Don't think so.  The cartoon Herbie was a gunner, hence the name.

I am by no means an expert, though.

That is where the author/cartoonist came up with the name of the character, from the horse bit thing. Some of the old, old, old, school non-artillery types still call us arty types Herbie.
 
Herbie???
haven't heard the term in a long time

but was used to refer to rookies starting out.
Some NCOs would have their personal "herbie beaters"... sticks that they would use to err.... encourage (yeah - that's the word, encourage) newbies along their merry way.
 
Hi all ... new to the site and forum ... I'm an old gunner (81-88, 3 RCHA Shilo/Cyprus, 1 RCHA Lahr Germany).
Take a stab at answering the Herbie question ... we were told that Herbie was a nickname given to stable boys that tended the horses for the old Royal Horse Artillery ... and that the name eventually stuck to mean all Horse Artillery gunners including Canadian.
cheers
 
geo said:
Herbie???
haven't heard the term in a long time

but was used to refer to rookies starting out.
Some NCOs would have their personal "herbie beaters"... sticks that they would use to err.... encourage (yeah - that's the word, encourage) newbies along their merry way.
Sticks? Sticks? Aha - we were beaten with ground spikes until dead, and then we had to get up and drill! (Apologies to John Cleese)  :p

We used to call the ground spikes "herbie beaters"

Pronto
 
Actually, Herbie (or Herby), was always used by us in the context that we were of likeness to things that live in the dirt, (aka Mud Gunners). It was a term that was endowed upon us from the Engineers who believed that we lived in the muck and the slop of the earth. This was probably due to the ruins that they would find our equipment in that they later had to retrieve for us. The Engineers retrieval of our equipment was to plague our officers for years to come via the yellow lanyards they were required to wear on dress uniforms. Although I don't disagree with the origin of the word from any of my posted brothers and sisters, this was merely the understanding we had of the word when I was with the unit.
 
Last time I said that word, I was in the Granade club (Petawawa many years ago) , and had to duck , before a couple of gunners took my head of. They seemed to think it was something bad. Hope they are reading this page.



CHIMO!!
 
Hmmm talk about a pot calling a kettle black.

Sappers are renowned for their scruffy appearances. Oh we work at making our appearance "preentable" but, it's never easy...

Musta been the way you delivered your message MuddyoldSpr.

Chimo!
 
My understanding of the term "Herbie " was that it meant any scruffy , inept, and gnereally sloppy soldier, who clould be depended on to muck up the Lords Prayer, or drop his rifle on the drill hall floor during the same prayer.  Every platoon had at least one of them, to the never ending shame of the Sgt Major.


Herbie, the cartoon charcter, was the butt of jokes and yet he had his good side, because he made the real soldiers laugh, at his antics.  Any one who is able to see some of the WW2 Malpe Leaf newspaper cartoons will be smiling in no time, as Herbie stumbled and bumbled his way to "the Ultimate Victory " in April 1945.

Herbie to me was the  soul of the Canadian Army in WW2, with all  of his prat falls and errors  on display for all to see. Somehow that makes him very Canadian, after all.  His best line was when he was asked by a reporter, "What do you want to get out of thiis war " ?  His answer was real simple ............ME !!!

JimB Toronto.
 
If anyone is interested, I awill be getting my hands on a copy of Herbie, in hardcover.

PM me if you are interested in Purchasing this.

dileas

tess
 
I have a copy. It is a terrific read that gives you an insight into the wartime Canadian army. The cartoons are great, all the way from the trip overseas to Herbie's return home. In this one, he is standing in the door with his kit bag slung over his shoulder and pointing up the stairs. His wife is at the foot saying "Those stairs? Herbie"
 
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