‘Children ardent for some desperate glory’ Public Schools and First World War volunteering Paul Methven Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy Department of History and Welsh History School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University September 2013 ii Frontispiece: ‘Children ardent for some desperate glory’. On parade: Dean Close Memorial School OTC cadets marching past, c.1910. ‘All Saints’ School, Bloxham: OTC cadet force c.1909 iii Summary of thesis This thesis examines the range of formative influences, within their educational experience, that helped to propel public schoolboys towards volunteering for military service upon the outbreak of the First World War. Based largely upon research conducted at seven second-tier English public schools, the work examines the scholastic factors and teaching methods that moulded boys’ characters and attitudes to the extent that responses to a strident call to arms in 1914 were almost universally positive. The areas explored in depth include: the influence of the schools as austere total institutions in the furtherance of manliness and muscular Christianity values; the classroom curriculum – specifically, the indoctrination of national supremacist values and the socialization of positive feelings as to war and ‘glorious death in battle’; the ubiquitous focus upon character development through competitive sports; the effects of religious teaching upon boys’ attitudes to subsequent volunteering; the militaristic impact of the 1908 Officers’ Training Corps scheme. Throughout, the thesis forms connections between deliberately embedded public school character and attitude traits with the requirement, by military recruiters, for similar attributes within their intake of junior officers during the early months of the First World War. Several broad questions are dealt with: for example, how appropriate were sports-embedded qualities to practical subaltern officering? What made the recruitment campaign so successful in securing ex-public school volunteers? How did key elements within the public school environment (e.g. authoritative hierarchy, rules and discipline, monasticism, indoctrinated beliefs) result in volunteering enthusiasm? To help address these (and other) relevant questions, the thesis draws upon the works of specialists within related fields - notably sociologists, linguists and educational experts. In conclusion, the thesis confirms the fact that, and determines how, thousands of ex-public schoolboys were unwittingly manipulated, from an early age, into serving their country in wartime. iv NOTICE OF SUBMISSION OF THESIS FORM: POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH DECLARATION This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitted concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award. Signed ……Paul Methven…………… (candidate) Date …18 December 2013 STATEMENT 1 This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of …MPhil History…… (insert MCh, MD, MPhil, PhD etc, as appropriate) Signed … Paul Methven …………(candidate) Date …18 December 2013 STATEMENT 2 This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The views expressed are my own. Signed ……… Paul Methven (candidate) Date: 18 December 2013 STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed … Paul Methven …… (candidate) Date …18 December 2013 STATEMENT 4: PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BAR ON ACCESS I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loans after expiry of a bar on access previously approved by the Academic Standards & Quality Committee. Signed … Paul Methven … (candidate) Date …18 December 2013 v Acknowledgements Throughout this research project, I have received assistance from a number of sources. Librarians at Cardiff University, the University of Bristol, the Leeds University Brotherton Library, the University of the West of England, the University of Birmingham and Bristol Central Library have all been extremely helpful. The team at the Institute of Education Library were also especially supportive as they located for me a range of highly-relevant Edwardian-era textbooks. And staff at both the Imperial War Museum Department of Documents and the Lambeth Palace Library and Archive uncovered, respectively, valuable First World War correspondence ‘from the front’ and appropriate 1914 sermon materials. No investigation into historical school practices can make progress without the willing cooperation of archivists and I was truly fortunate in this respect – not least because of the way that, beyond school magazines, most of them volunteered material which, hitherto, I’d not considered. For example, William Wood at Whitgift produced some valuable ‘form list’ curricular documents. David Pickard at Sutton Valence came up with some poignant OTC photographs together with highly informative unpublished memoir material. Mike Sampson of Blundell’s found copies of 1904 school rule booklets and brought the 1909 Rundle OTC camp diary to my attention. Simon Batten at Bloxham produced some debating society manuscripts and highlighted the Kingsley Fradd papers for me. Ian Quickfall at Malvern School gave me summative extracts from the school punishment book and led me through the war memorial displays in the school chapel. Claire Davies at King Edward’s, Bath, let me peruse the school’s abundant Edwardian-era OTC formation records. The Reverend Charles Whitney of Dean Close, in a lengthy email exchange, answered many of my questions with much consideration, enthusiasm and thoroughness. He also, over a three-day period, supplied me with prospectus material and highlighted particularly appropriate debating reports within the magazine archive. Much is owed to my supervisor, Professor Keir Waddington, who throughout the project, has provided me with wholehearted encouragement and guidance. His sound advice and constructive comments have proved very valuable. Finally, I should like to thank my family for their interest and backing - especially my wife, Julie Methven, for her support and forbearance throughout the project. I promise to return to the twenty-first century very soon. vi Contents Frontispiece ii Summary of thesis iii Declaration iv Acknowledgements v List of illustrations vii List of appendices viii INTRODUCTION: ‘Melt the boys down and run them all out of the same 1 mould like bullets’. CHAPTER 1 - INSTITUTIONS: ‘School life becomes the reality, and 21 home life the illusion’. CHAPTER 2 - CURRICULUM: ‘To root in the youths of the country the 67 aptitude for arms and a feeling of patriotism’ CHAPTER 3 - ATHLETICISM: ‘Games were at least concrete, 109 explicable, alive, fun’ CHAPTER 4 - VOLUNTEERING: ‘We simply cannot help ourselves and 152 there are millions like us’ CHAPTER 5 - CONCLUSION: ‘Children ardent for some desperate glory’ 170 Appendices 180 Bibliography 212 vii List of Illustrations Chapter one: Figure 1 Haileybury Boer War Memorial Obelisk 43 Figure 2 Blundell’s school rule booklet c.1904 49 Figure 3 King’s Regulations booklet - 1912 49 Figure 4 Blundell’s School - monitors’ rules, 1904 50 Chapter two: Figure 5 Cadets parading at Sutton Valence, 1915 92 Figure 6 Bloxham School - OTC cadets on a 1911 Field Day 102 Figure 7 Kingsley Fradd - application for a commission 107 Chapter three: Figure 8 Officers in uniform; rank signifiers on cuffs and shoulders 138 Figure 9 Captain Nevill’s grave at Carnoy 143 Chapter four: Figure 10 Concordance occurrences – highlights 165 viii List of Appendices Appendix A Cubitt Rundle, OTC camp materials - Blundells’ School 181 Appendix B Warlike hymn lyrics - Tidworth OTC Camp, 1909 182 Appendix C An early war title page - The Whitgiftian, November, 1914 183 Appendix D Sir Henry Newbolt (1862-1938); text for ‘Vitaï Lampada’ 184 Appendix E Poster: ‘Is YOUR home worth fighting for?’ 185 Appendix F Poster: ‘Your Country Needs You’ 186 Appendix G Poster: ‘Isn’t this worth fighting for? - ENLIST NOW’ 187 Appendix H Punch atrocity cartoons – August 1914 188 Appendix I The Times - selected early war articles 189 Appendix J ‘Honour and Dishonour’ - David Lloyd George, Sept. 1914 195 Appendix K Concordance analyses – published recruiting texts 207 Appendix L French attacking Parliament - The Boys’ Friend, 1900 208 Appendix M Punch cartoon – pride in the uniform – Sept. 1914 209 Appendix N Edwardian-era product advertisements 210 Appendix O 1909 Malvern pupil poem: ‘Oh England, Mighty England’ 211 1 INTRODUCTION ‘Melt the boys down and run them all out of the same mould like bullets’ During the First World War, 229,316 men were commissioned as combat officers. Official statistics record that 37,452 British officers were reported killed or missing and 79,445 were seriously wounded.1 Early on, a shortage of officers became clear. As War Office policy, officers were recruited from public schools on the basis that their education and Officers’ Training Corps (OTC) experience would provide the leadership necessary to command a civilian army.2 Most of these men emanated from the privileged classes and had volunteered as subalterns, many joining up during the first weeks.3 These novice officers proved extremely vulnerable: Jay Winter concludes that