St Edward's 150 Years - by Nicola Hunter

St Edward’s: 150 Years

Chapter 6 / St Edward’s and the Wars

Set E 1913: Back row (left to right): R.N. Dixey, P.J.C. Simpson, H.G. Williamson, W.K. Hudson, J.P.R. Bridson; Seated (left to right): L.M.H. Paget, C.S. Green, L.Davies(SetTutor),G.H.Segar,G.H.Paget;Onground(lefttoright):A.W.Dolby, J.C. Hyde, W.H. Dore. All of this group fought in the Great War. L. Davies, P.J.C. Simpson, H.G. Williamson, J.P.R. Bridson, J.C. Hyde, W.H. Dore were killed. W.K. Hudson, S.H. Paget and G.H. Segar were all wounded.

recorded in the panelling in the nave. Few families were left untouched. The ‘War List’ in the Chronicle appeared regularly in each wartime edition, and the final figure of OSE who fought was over 700. The St Edward’s count of medals and other awards for the Great War , recorded by Wilfrid Cowell, was one CB, four CMG, one KCIE, 20 DSO, 40 MC, four DFC, three AFC, two DCM, three CBE, 18 OBE, one MBE and seven ‘Special Promotions’. There were also 132 mentioned in despatches and 20 further foreign awards. During the hostilities there were OSE in every theatre of the war including France, Belgium, Italy, Gallipoli, Salonika, the Asia Minor Coast, Palestine, the Suez Canal, Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Somaliland, German East Africa and South East Nigeria, North Russia, Asia, Aden, Mesopotamia, India, the North West Frontier, Burma, Tsingtau, the Falklands, the Adriatic, the Persian Gulf, the West African Coast and the Dardanelles. They had also served in the Grand Fleet, the Atlantic Fleet,

the Auxiliary Cruisers, the Dover Patrol and the North Sea Minelayers ( Chronicle ). Four of Warden Hudson’s sons, all at the School, fought and two were killed; one was too young to fight. Noel Baring Hudson (D, 1903–12), his fourth son, fought with the Royal Berkshire Regiment, was wounded at least 15 times and became, for a short time, the youngest Brigadier in the British Army. He was awarded a DSO and Bar, MC and Bar and was mentioned in despatches twice. He was later to become Bishop of Ely. Geoffrey de Havilland (E, 1898–9) and Louis Arbon Strange (E, 1905–7) are two of many extraordinary figures during the war. De Havilland was a pioneer of the Royal Flying Corps

Above: OTC camp 1913. Right: Part of Warden Sing’s window in the Chapel.

who designed and flew aircraft before the war and both manufactured for, and served in, the early Royal Flying Corps itself. He was highly decorated. Strange (who later wrote a book, Recollections of an Airman 1910–1930 ) was a talented airman who fought in both world wars. In the Great War his skills made him successful in the early days of aerial combat and tactical bombing, and he appeared fearless; he once found himself over enemy lines dangling from the cockpit of his upturned plane. It was he who is said to have flown a plane between the School Chapel tower and the Beauchamp Dormitory in 1915. His rebellious nature blazed a trail later followed by Bader and Warburton in World War II. In the war of 1914–18, six past head boys were killed: John Henry Farquhar Wilgress (D, 1890–4), Reginald Crommelin Popham Blyth (A, 1887–96), George Maurice Gerald Gillett (A, 1894–1901), (of whom the Chronicle says he was ‘one of the most delightful and deservedly popular men who ever went to St Edward’s’), Oswald Charles Blencowe (E, 1902–8), George Howard Bickley (A, 1906–11) and Charles Sherriff Ranson (C, 1909–15). Given the dreadful losses , the School Council took up the advice of the Prince of Wales to schools to raise funds for War Memorials. At St Edward’s the target was £10,000 to provide for a Calvary in an extended cloisters, to fund the education at reduced fees of the sons of fallen OSE, to provide a new

By October 1914 the Chronicle reported that 170 past and present pupils were serving in the Army and Navy. The first death was that of Robert Burton Parker (Roll No 772, 1890–2), who had survived the Boer War but was killed at the Battle of the Aisne. It seems invidious to mention individuals, but such stories give a flavour of the national determination and resilience of the time, reinforced by life at St Edward’s. One such individual was Charles Grey (Roll No 705, 1888–91), who was badly wounded when serving in Nyasaland with the King’s African Rifles and had to have his left arm amputated above the elbow. The Chronicle says ‘he made a good recovery and cabled that he hoped to be fit for duty again in a month.’ He did indeed return, after a short period working at the Admiralty in London, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1918. The Times Educational Supplement of November 1914 reported that St Edward’s, together with three other schools, headed the list of all schools in the country with 100 per cent enlistment from the OTC of those eligible. A special Litany took place at Matins on Fridays in Chapel when Warden Ferguson read the casualty lists to the congregation. These losses were particularly poignant when so many had recently sat in that very Chapel themselves as pupils. The names of men lost were

Christmas card from C.C. Prior, (B, 1906–12), 1917.

Robert Burton Parker (772, 1890–2), the first OSE killed in the Great War.

Noel BaringHudson (D, 1903–12).

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