St Edward's School Oxford and the Great War 1914-1918

L LEWELLYN H URST (O.S.E.) One of over twenty O.S.E. who served with the Canadian Forces during the war, eight of whom are on the School’s Roll of Honour. Most of these former pupils had been at the school in the early 1900s. Hurst was an exception and was a Boer War veteran. In the Great War he was appointed Quarter-Master for the 194th Canadian Battalion.

L EONARD C ROFTS (O.S.E.) A senior regular soldier he was a veteran of the Boer war with the Queen’s West Surrey Regiment then from 1901-2 he was appointed Provost Marshall in South Africa. He served throughout the Great War in France, was wounded badly twice and awarded the D.S.O. as well as being Mentioned in Despatches twice. By the end of the war he was a Lt Colonel but officiating as a Brigadier, despite having two badly damaged hands.

S IR E RIC S WAYNE (O.S.E.) One of the most senior regular soldiers in the war from the School’s contingent. He had served in the Burma Campaign (1885-7), the African Campaign (1898) and in British Somaliland with the Welch Regiment. From 1906-13 he was Governor of the British Honduras, knighted in 1910. Aged 51 in 1914 he was appointed Inspector of Recruiting and then Labour Commander of the Indian Army in 1918.