[Sleeping in the dugout]

Depicts the protagonist and his bearded friend sleeping in a dugout on crudely made bunk-beds. The scene has a cosy atmosphere, due to the artists's enclosing of the characters in a soft, rounded space. Even the rat sniffing at a rifle leaning against a table is quite benign. The soldier's are wearing beanies against the cold, and are using their haversacks as pillows.

The construction of the dugout and its half pipe form are not clearly delineated. However it is obvious that it is surrounded with earth, and that sawn-off logs help to support the roof. On the right side of the dugout is a folding table with a pot on top, a rifle leaning on it, a bulging bag hanging off it, and the aforementioned rat approaching it.

Sketchbook belonging to Paul Prangère. Found on the WWI battlefields in France by Private Charles Edward Goldspink M.M., 17 Infantry Battallion. Depicts life in the trenches during the first two costly battles of Champagne. The first battle took place between 10 December 1914 - 17 March 1915 and 90,000 French were injured. The second battle occurred between 22 September 1915 - 6 October 1915. It probably does not depict the thrid battle of Champagne (16 - 20 April 1917) because Prangere states the date of creation as being 1916. Many of the illustrations are of a jovial and gentle life in dugouts. The second half of the sketchbook portrays the soldier on leave with his wife or girlfriend after being injured. Despite the grim nature of life in the trenches, the artist largely portrays a lyrical existence, with his simple and humourous illustrative style anticipating Hergé's Tintin (which was first published in 1929).