Siegfried Line

Published July 04, 2016 • Updated March 30, 2020

“We’re Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line” wartime card game made by William Sessions Ltd, 1940s

“We’re Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line” wartime card game made by William Sessions Ltd, 1940s. The Siegfried Line refers to the German heavily defended line across Europe designed to keep out the allies, much like the Maginot Line which the French relied on at the start of the war. See the Rules►

Above: the small ‘Washing’ cards.

Above: “We’re Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line” card game made by William Sessions Ltd, The Ebor Press, York (UK) 1940s. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.

They say that this defensive line, laughed at by the British, cost over a quarter of a million allied lives.

Music Scores, 1939

I'm Sending You the Siegfried Line (Leon Cortez)

We're Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Seigfried Line Billy Cotton

Above: Music scores courtesy Rex Pitts.

Later Edition

This is a version of the game which was obviously re issued, probably after the War had ended, when everybody had forgotten about the Siegfried Line. It is titled “Laundry Line – Out” and the only difference is the colour of the card backs, being pink instead of green. I have never thought that the original was very widespread so this version is probably around even less. It’s a shame it didn’t seem to do well because it is naive but quite cute. See the Rules►

Above: “Laundry Line – Out”. The colour of the card backs is pink.

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

United Kingdom • Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many. His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service. Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.