# WWI/WWII graffiti

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-wwii-graffiti/834301>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 21, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-wwii-graffiti/834301 "2019-05-21T17:15:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-wwii-graffiti/834301/1 "2019-05-21T17:15:17Z")

</div>

Came across the following on Quora:

‘I remember a picture from a high school history book showing part of a wall in France where a soldier had scratched his name, rank and date during WWI. Below that was the scratched the same soldiers name, updated rank, and date in WWII, and a sentiment to the effect of “I hope this is the last time I pass through here.”’

In response to someone’s question he adds “It was in a high school or junior high history book I used in the late 70’s or early 80’s and was probably at least 10 years old then.”

Does anyone remember seeing this picture? Does anyone have a copy, or a link to the picture online?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-wwii-graffiti/834301/2 "2019-05-22T03:32:35Z")

</div>

I don’t but I remember reading that same anecdote in the book “Dirty Little Secrets of World War II”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-wwii-graffiti/834301/3 "2019-05-22T07:47:39Z")

</div>

Was his name Kilroy?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwi-wwii-graffiti/834301/4 "2019-05-22T11:09:39Z")

</div>

I haven’t seen a picture but, like **Asuka** , I have come across the story in a book of collected anecdotes. I can’t recall if the book cited a photo or even if it had a respectable cite at all for the story.