Ladies & Gents...the first Meme?

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

[Pat Riot]

When I worked at Siemens they sent me to Germany a couple of times. I had a German colleague ask me once “Since we are better acquainted, I wanted to ask you something we have pondered for a long time in my family. Really, who was Kilroy?”

 

I kid you not. 

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

In my little 15mm WW2 wargames, I have several German panzers and other AFVs that I assembled and painted for my little battles. 

When I show bottoms of several of those little Nazi vehicles to folks, I often get a giggle.

 

 

 

 

 

.

[DeaconKC]

If I remember correctly Kilroy was an inspector at one of the shipyards building Liberty Ships during WW2. He would mark Kilroy was here as he inspected welding jobs. It became a famous bit to the sailors manning those ships.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

 Clarifies several of the statements above.

 

"“Kilroy Was Here”-A Story from World War II - America Comes Alive" https://americacomesalive.com/kilroy-story-world-war-ii/ñ

[Alpo]

From the Heinlein juvenile SPACE CADET. The two teens, Tex and Matt, are applying to join the space patrol. They have just arrived at patrol headquarters, and out in the middle of the room there is a crashed spaceship.

 

 

They moved to the balcony railing and read a plaque posted there: USSF Rocket Ship Kilroy Was Here
FIRST INTERPLANETARY SHIP
From Terra to Mars and return-Lieut. Colonel Robert deFries Sims, Commanding; Captain Saul S. Abrams; Master Sergeant Malcolm MacGregor. None survived the return landing. Rest in Peace.

They crowded next to two other boys and stared at the Kilroy. Tex nudged Matt. “See the gash in the dirt, where she skidded? Say, do you suppose they just built right over her, where she lays?"

One of the other two-a big-boned six-footer with tawny hair-answered, “No, the Kilroy landed in North Africa.”

“Then they must have fixed it to look like where she crashed. You a candidate too?”

“That’s right.”

I'm Bill Jarman-from Texas. And this is Matt Dodson.”

“I’m Oscar Jensen-and this is Pierre Armand.”

“Howdy, Oscar. Glad to know you, Pierre.”

“Call me Pete,” Armand acknowledged. Matt noticed that he spoke Basic English with an accent, but Matt was unable to place it. Oscar’s speech was strange, too-a suggestion of a lisp. He turned back to the ship.

“Imagine having the guts to go out into space in a cracker box like that,” he said. “It scares me to think about it”

“Me, too,” agreed Oscar Jensen.

“It’s a dirty shame,” Pierre said, softly.

“What is, Pete?” Jarman demanded.

“That their luck didn’t hold. You can see it was an almost perfect landing-they didn’t just crash in, or there would have been nothing left but a hole in the ground.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Say, there’s a stairway down over on the far side-see it, Matt? Do you suppose we could look through her?”

“Maybe,” Matt told him, “but I think we had better put it off. We’ve got to report in, you know.”

“We had all better check in,” agreed Jensen. “Coming, Pete?”

Armand reached for his bag. Oscar Jensen pushed him aside and picked it up with his own. “That’s not necessary!” Armand protested, but Oscar ignored him.

Jarman looked at Pierre. “You sick, Pete?” he asked. “I noticed you looked kind of peaked. What’s the trouble?”

“If you are,” put in Matt, “ask for a delay.”

Armand looked embarrassed.
“He’s not sick and he'll pass the exams,” Jensen said firmly. “Forget it.”

“Sho’, sho’,” Tex agreed. They followed the crowd and found a notice which told all candidates to report to room 3108, third corridor. They located corridor three, stepped on the slideway, and put down their baggage.

“Say, Matt,” said Tex, “tell me-who was Kilroy?”

“Let me see,” Matt answered. “He was somebody in the Second Global War, an admiral, I think. Yeah, Admiral ‘Bull’ Kilroy, that sounds right.”

“Funny they’d name it after an admiral.”

“He was a flying admiral.”

“You’re a savvy cuss,” Tex said admiringly. “I think I’ll stick close to you during the tests.”

Matt brushed it off. “Just a fact I happened to pick up.”

 

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Saw a few "Kilroy was here!" signs in 'Nam.  Not many, but a few.  Spread a few around myself.