The Prebendal School’s Quest for Remembrance Tom Bromfield, Head of Humanities, the Prebendal School

2nd Lt. Bernard Penfold The First Six

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Prebendal School is the choir school that can list its Head Masters back as far as 1170. Of those 83 Head Masters at least three went onto greater things, teaching a king and starting a new school in Winchester. John Holt, who was a friend of Thomas More in the household of Archbishop Morton, was appointed Head Master of the school and then head hunted to teach the young Prince Henry. Two years later, on his death, the next Head Master, William Hone was appointed tutor to Henry and his sister Mary. Earlier, in 1384, Romsey had moved from Prebendal to Winchester College to become the second Wykehamist Headmaster.

It would seem, therefore, out of character for a well-established school to lack any significant memorial to former pupils who gave their lives in the Great War. In the early 1920s a memorial was erected in the Canons’ Vestry that was then the song school in the Cathedral. The Canons’ Vestry wall is also the site where boys would sign their names in pencil as high up as they could reach, whilst being lifted by other choristers. The one name that is clear to read is C.J.Howard. Cyril James Howard attended the school from 1905 to 1909, joining the Yeomanry in 1914. He was killed 8 November 1915 and is buried at Twelve Tree Copse in Gallipoli. Curiously, the school history records that a former master of the school was an army padre who was shelled whilst conducting a funeral on the Gallipoli peninsular; after the benediction he helped bandage the wounded among the mourners.

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The memorial in the Canons’ Vestry and C.J.Howard’s graffiti.

In 2010 we started to research the evidence on the memorial, using the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database (CWGC) and the Head Masters’ book. The latter is a register that has been kept of every boy (girls from 1971) who attended the school. The book gives key information of their full name, date of birth, date of entry, date left and their next of kin. This book helped us identify the correct individual in the CWGC database because it gave the full name and on occasions the next of kin matched as well. It was also possible to track the Chichester Observer archives for these six boys as a number were well known in Chichester and there were letters to the paper at the time.

The Head Masters’ book showing Penfold’s name.

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Penfold and St. Peter’s, Selsey During this research process, the Head Masters’ book was on my desk during a lesson. A girl called Matilda came to ask a question and enquired after the book. On hearing what the book had been for she asked if she could look and read aloud a couple of names. “Penfold, Bernard Hugh”. (135 Penfold, Bernard Hugh – Entered September 20th 1890 – Born February 17th 1880 – Mr. Hugh Penfold of Selsey – left August 7th 1891). This name instantly struck me as I attend St. Peter’s, Selsey on a Sunday and always sit below a brass plaque commemorating, 2nd Lt. Bernard Penfold of the Worcestershire and nd Sherwood Foresters, killed on 22 October 1917.

The plaque in St. Peter’s, Selsey.

In addition, I was able to track down the St.Peter’s Parish News from December 1917 that pays tribute to a valued member of their community.

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This meant that only the choristers are remembered on the Cathedral plaque in the Canons’ Vestry. Boys who had attended the school, who were not choristers had no memorial to their name, only the Memorial Garden for all the fallen of the two World Wars. This garden was donated to the school after the Second World War. Using a group of pupils who were taught how to access information through the CWGC website, we were able to take names from the Head Masters’ book to research the Prebendalians more thoroughly. George Percy Edwards MC was the first find, killed 2 October 1918 with the Royal Field Artillery. As he was awarded the Military Cross there was a strong likelihood that there may be a citations in the London Gazette. After a considerable amount of searching through many Edwards in the London Gazette a lucky guess came up with a perfect match in the Edinburgh Gazette. Further research would possibly indicate that Percy won the Military Cross twice, yet this does need confirming.

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A considerable contribution to the Great War All the initial research had relied on the use of the CWGC website, yet this in turn relied on the individual being killed during the Great War. It was now necessary to use a website that gave information of service. By putting every name into a number of search databases the staff and pupils of Prebendal were able to establish that 74 boys served in the Great War, of that number 19 lost their lives– this is an ‘attrition rate’ of 26%. The Prebendal School has former pupils serving in nearly all theatres of the conflict on land, sea and in the air.

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Name DOB Rank Regiment Awards Place of Burial Heather, Cecil Henry 10/04/1918 Royal Garrison Artillery Northern France Benham, Reginald Reuben S/Sgt RAMC MID Wilson, Walter Cecil MC Sadler, Robert RNR Bayley, James Lt/Commander Charles, Richard Maj RAMC? OBE/MID Hawes, Thomas Mitchell Lt/Commander Worcester and Sherwood Penfold, Bernard Hugh 22/10/1917 2nd Lt For. Ypres, Tyne Cot

Lt Col (or 2nd St M/St. G Baker, Archibald Samuel Lt) ROAC (Royal Suffolk) MID Sadler, Henry 2nd Lt Royal Sussex Regt. MC Charles, RW RAMC MID Lloyd, Graham Eyre 2nd Lt (Capt) Tank Corps (RAMC) (MC) Silver Jefferey, Alfred Ernest Guardsman badge Shippam, Wilfrid 04/03/1919 Pt Influenza Acton, Reginald George 09/05/1915 2nd Lt South Lancashire Regt 5Bn Horscroft, Alfred Charles Michael 12/03/1917 HMS Q19 Whiting, Walter Edward C/Sgt Royal Marine Artillery Rue -David Cemetery, Skaife, Arthur Frederic 01/11/2014 Capt 1st Bn Middlesex Regt Fleurbaix Skaife, Eric Ommaney A/Lt Col Royal Welch Fusiliers OBE/MID Hubbert, Francis Stanley [W] 23/4/1915 2nd Lt East Yorkshire Regt Ypres Martin, Algernon 05/11/2018 L/Cpl Royal Sussex Regt. 7Bn Moore, Arthur Gordon Wens[ley] Lt. Col Lemmon, Montague Hague 08/06/1915 Honourable Artillery

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Company Edwards, George Percy 02/101918 MC Ferris, Eric William George Army Chaplain Wheeler, Leonard Michael RSN 4BN Jerusalem Stickels, Charles 08/11/1917 Cole CH 2nd Lt DSM Caffyn, Leslie John Sgt MSM Coomber, Archibald Bertram RAMC Younghusband, Edward Walter T/Lt Machine Gun Corps MID Trowell, William Thomas 2nd Lt RSR 7BN MIA Willard, Alfred [E] 3/7/17 Lt RSR 7BN Herrington, Cecil EE Surgeon Lt Ford, Colin Frederick Flt. Sgt. RAF MSM/MM Montrose (Sleepyhillock) Hayden, William Benjamin RFC/6th Reserve sqn Angus Arnell, Stuart Burton 2nd Lt Royal Hampshire Regt Howard Cyril James 08/11/1915 L/Cpl Sussex Yeomanry Kent, Keith Robert Herrington, Percy Godfrey 15/02/2017 2nd Lt Royal Welch Fusiliers 8BN Amara, Iraq Suffolk Regt or Royal Field Jordan, Victor 2nd Lt Artillery (Gunner) Thorowgood, Roland William Theodore 07/08/1918 T/2nd Lt Royal Warwicks. Regt. MC Lys, Pas-de-Calais Port of London authority MC Stone, Cyril Hurburt ? Royal Army Medical Corps MC/MID Harris, George Gale 26/07/2017 T/2nd Lt Royal Field Artillery MC Sheen, Harold Joseph 2nd Lt Royal Sussex Regt. Lake, Cyril Dalton Gunner Royal Garrison Artillery MM Rands, Leslie Samuel Flt Sub Lt Royal Naval Air Service Manners, Herbert John 26/10/1917 Private Royal West Surrey Regt Ypres, Tyne Cot

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2nd Bn Manners, Frank Neal Rifleman King's Rifle Corps 10Bn A/Lt Col Adam, William John Major DSO Ordinary Goff, Arthur Francis George Seaman Pierce, Percy John Emmerson 13/08/2018 Lt. RAF 19 Sqn Martin, Leon Fl Sub Lt Royal Naval Air Service Osmand, William Private Buffs Catt, Philip Herbert 2nd Lt Scots Guards Coutts, [Jan] George 2nd Lt RAF 84th Sqn MID Paige, Edward Private RAF labourer Chitty, Denis Charles 24/08/1919 Royal Field Artillery North Munden churchyard Richards, Ronald Sendall 06/11/2017 1/4 Royal Sussex Regt. Egypt

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Furthermore, during the initial research it was surprising that the boys were mainly in the ranks, whereas an assumption could have been drawn that as most boys went onto public schools, more officers would have been in the list. As is now apparent, many were officers, including two Lieutenant Colonels. Moreover, considering the number of gallantry awards that were won in the Great War, the initial six were not listed with any. However, as the story unfolded, the awards started to trickle in and then almost cascade, if you include those mentioned in despatches. Remembering not just the dead. Remembrance often focusses on those who lost their lives, yet in this research it was felt to be of equal or even more importance to focus on those who came back. The many family losses of the Great War; the hope of the interwar years; the struggles of the Second World War and finally the creativity hopes and dreams of the post war era. For this, one family embodies the spirit of 1914. Arthur and Eric Skaife were the sons of a physician who lived in North Street House in Chichester. The boys attended Prebendal School in January 1893, aged 10 and 9 years old respectively, before going on to Winchester College. Both boys volunteered in 1914, Arthur for the Middlesex Regiment and Eric in the 2nd Btn, Royal Welch Fusiliers. These regiments were among the first among the BEF to be sent to France and Belgium. Then tragedy struck the family when they were informed that both boys had been killed in action. Eric was posted as killed in action, reported in the ‘North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser’ on Friday 30 October 1914. Arthur had been killed fighting in the Aubers and Fromelles area on 1 November. Skaife – Killed in action on the 19th inst. Captain Eric Ommanney Skaife, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, aged 30, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Skaife, Chichester. (North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser) Then by 5 August 1915 the Flintshire Observer reports an article entitled ‘Prisoners better lot in Germany’ in which Capt. Eric Skaife has turned up again, alive. He had been wounded and taken prisoner and was to spend the next three years as a POW. Sir Eric Skaife originally joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1903, rising to the rank of Captain by 1914. After being wounded in October he spent time in a German military hospital and then served out the war as a prisoner in Germany, where conditions were reported in the Welsh provincial papers. The officers were making the best of it, filling their hours with theatre and study. Eric, pursued his passion for languages by improving his Welsh and learning Russian. These two languages would be invaluable to him during the inter-war years and beyond. At the end of the war he was promoted to Major and awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE), to add to his ‘mention in despatches’. He then served in the war office and Waziristan, returning to his regiment in 1929 as Lieutenant Colonel. Because Eric was proficient in Russian he was appointed as military attaché to Moscow from 1934 to 1937. This raises the question, did he ever meet Joseph Stalin? He then served in the Russian department of the Foreign Office from 1941 to 1944. He published A short history of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1929. During retirement, Sir Eric was a keen eisteddfodwr, becoming vice-president in 1942. He died in 1956 during the Scottish Mod, and he is buried

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Conclusion The aim of the project was to establish the war record of Prebendalians. It was suspected from the outset that there would be more than just the initial six. However, in this ongoing research, it is becoming clear that Prebendal School conforms to the model cited by John Lewis-Stempel, in ‘Six Weeks’ who maintains that the contribution by volunteers during the Great War was considerable, yet this should not be measured by the number of names on the school war memorial, but also through the lives of those who returned and their contribution to the ‘new world’ that emerged from the tragedy and sorrow, adventure and ultimate victory of 1918. We as a school intend to continue this research to fill in the gaps that are clear through the Second World War and through the twentieth century.

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