Post war

Post War

Timeline World

School

25 March 1919 Samuel Collier Oakford dies 28 June 1919 Treaty of Versailles

April 1920 German Howlitzer given to school

July 1921 Bell Bat donated by family

5 October 1922 Unveiling of War Memorial

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Contents Sounding the All Clear 275 School Life 276 The War Memorial 278 The Unveiling of the War Memorial 280 The German Howitzer 285 Oddities 286 Teachers 287 Deceased 289

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School Life Despite the War, by Autumn 1918, there are 620 boys in attendence. This is a new record, and is almost 200 more than at the beginning of the War. By the end of 1919, life is very much returning to normal. The main event of this year was the planning and building of the War Memorial.

School Chronicle April 1919: “With the passing of the war-cloud it is at length possible to write an Editorial unhampered by the blue pencil of the censor or the guilty fears inspired by the paper famine.”

“With the cessation of hostilities the various War Hospital Supply Depots have closed down, and it is interesting to note that the boys of this School have through the medium of the Depot in Merchants Road - distributed some hundreds of articles to the local hospitals. This should be a source of much satisfaction to the makers and an achievement of which they may well be proud.”

School Chronicle July 1919: “In brief, we may say that the spirit of the School has rarely, if ever, been in a more healthy condition and with the total assumption of the Peace-time activities, feel convinved that it will go forward from strength to strength in every sphere of work and sport.”

Even after the official Armistice on 11th November 1918, there were still Old Bristolian’s seeing active service. A small number of OBs were lost even into 1919.

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The War Memorial The subject of a War Memorial was first mentioned by Barton during the annual meeting of the OB’s Society, recorded in the December 1917 Chronicle. He suggested that a room should be created, suitable for use as a library, reading-room, and meetings room. The exterior should incorporate a ‘dado of brass, with the names of those who had served their country inscribed on it.’

In April 1920 the President of the OB’s Society is noted as saying that ‘he was a little disappointed in connection with the funds obtained ’ for the War Memorial. He suggests that a solution to the design of the Memorial could be to ‘panel out’ one end of the Great Hall, on which would be recorded the names of all those who had fallen.

The War Memorial was next mentioned at the meeting of the Committee, recorded in the July 1920 Chronicle. Mr. G. C. Laurence, an Old Boy, attended the meeting and is described as promising to produce a rough sketch of a screen which would be placed in the entrance to the transept. It is clear that the design of the Memorial is still somewhat up in the air at this point. It is also noted at this point that ‘The Fund continues to increase, if somewhat slowly’, this is followed by a plea for more donations wherever possible.

By December 1920, a final plan for the Memorial appears to have been decided on.

It was said that design had ‘been a labour of love’ for Mr. Lawrence.

‘There would be panels bearing the names of the 112 Old Boys who had fallen, and it would be erected in the E.N.E. transept. Over the panels was a fine cornice, with a fan tracery, and the effect was very fine. The inscription, on a ribbon along the cornice, would be: 1914-18, and the School Motto, and the whole of the screen would be in oak. There would also be the School Arms and the city Arms. The Memorial would not obstruct in any way from the view of the Founders’ Window. The width of the screen would be 17ft., and the height 8.5ft.’

By December 1921 the final design for the Memorial had been agreed and sent to the

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contractors, in order for them to begin work. A grand total of £1,450 [Approximately £62,000 today] had been raised for the fabrication of the Memorial. Following this it is reported that work has been delayed due to a fire at the contractor’s which led to the destruction of the drawings and the oak. However, they are still hopeful to have it ready by Easter 1922.

It is noted in the July 1922 Chronicle that the War Memorial ‘is now nearly completed, and will be unveiled early next term.’

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Plan for the War Memorial School Chronicle April 1921

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The Unveiling of the War Memorial School Chronicle December 1922 On October 5th a large assembly of Old Bristolians, School Cadets, masters, and relatives and friends of the fallen witnessed the unveiling and dedication of the War Memorial. Mr H. E. Chattock, chairman of the Governors, presided. The report following is taken from the Western Daily Press.

The memorial is worthy of the school and the cause for which it has been provided.

It takes the form of a screen across the transept of the Great Hall, forming a background to the platform dias. Its design has been carried out by an old boy of the school, entirely as a labour of love, and is a most attractive example of modern Gothic art. Like the Great Hall itself, its style embodies the perpendicular features that were in vogue at the date of the school’s foundation. In type the screen follows the tradition of the arcaded and vaulted rood screens that are characteristic of the West of England. It has thus a double appropriateness, not only as most suitable to the practical purpose of the memorial, but also as reminiscent of what was perhaps the most prominent and important ornament in pre-Reformation parish churches – the portrayal of the Great Sacrifice, by means of the Crucifix with attendant figures.

The screen is designed in six bays; the two end bays are occupied by doorways to the East Transept. Over the two doorways are the mottoes: “Ducle et Decorum Pro Patria Mori,” and “Ex Spinas Uvas Celestes.”

The panelling of the four bays between the doors contains the memorial tablets in bronze, with a dignified cast lettering, to which very careful attention had been given.

The tablets and side tablet are the work of Messrs. Humphreys and Oakes, of Bristol.

The screen has been admirably executed on oak without artificial colour of any kind, by Messrs. R. F. Ridd and Sons, of Bristol, and the carving of the upper portion, particularly in the free rendering of the vine ‘motif’ on the frieze, offers a really good example of modern craftsmanship. The dais is furnished with a table and chair of Jacobean date, the colour of which harmonises with that of the bronze tablets, and as these are toned by time, the face only of the letters will be kept bright.

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At the side of the memorial screen is a bronze tablet inserted in the panelling of the hall, with the following inscription: This screen was erected by the Old Boys Society and by the parents and friends of those who gave their lives for King and country in the Great War.

Their name liveth for evermore.

Over 700 old scholars of this school joined the Colours, and among the distinctions gained were: Victoria Cross, 2.

Companion of the Bath, 3.

Distinguished Service Order, 5.

Military Cross, 29.

Distinguished Conduct Medal, 4.

Croix de Guerre, 8.

Lêgion d’Honneur, Croix d’Officier, 1.

It is worthy of note that the design and execution of the memorial, in every detail, is Bristol work.

When the memorial had been dedicated by the Bishop the inspiring notes of “The Last Post” rang out, and the organ led the large assembly in singing “Let saints on earth in concert sing.”

Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith immediately followed with his address. He said – The Memorial which has just been unveiled was one of many hundreds which had been set up throughout the country in the last three years. Those memorials had differed very widely in form and type, and also in the bond that united those whose names appeared upon the roll of honour. But there was no bond that was closer and stronger than the bond of fellowship in the same school. There was no need for him to say anything about the form which their memorial had taken. They saw it before their eyes, and they could judge of the beauty of its design and workmanship, the fitness of its setting, and the grace and dignity which it added to the great hall which, for many of them, was so full of imperishable memories. He was not going to speak to

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The War Memorial, Great Hall

Bristol Grammar School, Archive Department

them of the form of the memorial, but rather of the inner meaning of it. What exactly did it stand for? What was its object and aim? Primarily it was a reminder of the death of those 120 men and lads who gave their lives for their country. But it was not for the dead they mourned; he was thinking rather of the public loss, the loss to their city, their country, and to the world. If the screen was a reminder of death, it was far more a reminder of that great response to duty which led those lads to give themselves to their country, and in the end to make the supreme sacrifice. When they thought of it from that point of view their sadness was mingled with the pride and with joy. Looked at from that opint of view the screen presented to them not only the sacrifice of the 120 men and lads whose names were inscribed thereon, but also of the many hundreds who gave themselves just as cheerfully and willingly; who faced the dangers and privations of the war, many of whom lost health and limbs, but who were not called upon to make the last sacrifice of all. They were proud to be fellow countrymen and fellow citizens and schoolfellows of such men and lads.

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The memorial screen would be to them and to future generations a reminder, a warning, and an inspiration. It would be a reminder to future generations of British boys of the way in which their predecessors did their duty; it would be a warning to them not to let their standard of devotion fall below theirs; it would be an inspiration and an encouragement to the timid and faint-hearted to play their part well and manfully in whatever emergency their country might hereafter be called upon to meet.

But if they wished to build a permanent and worthy monument to their dead comrades they had to do much more than build a memorial screen in that hall. They had to carry on and complete the work of those who had fallen. They had to take a hand in the building of the new world to realise which they, who had gone, had given their lives.

That was a far harder task then sending a subscription to a war memorial committee.

It was now four years all but one month since the last shot was fired in the great war, and still the state of the world was such as to give rise to the very greatest appalling loss of live and material wealth, but rather was he thinking of the national and international jealousies and suspicions and hatreds which were still burning or smouldering, whilst at the same time there had been a decline in the standard both of private and public virtue. That came at a time when it was of the utmost importance that the standard should be raided instead of lowered. They hoped, they believed it would give way to a better state of things. It would be strange, indeed, if that period of common effort, of common sacrifice, and common sorrow which had passes through did not produce some effect in deepening and ennobling the national character. They hoped and believed it might yet be so, and that the present phase, remarkable as it was, for the increased intensity of the pursuit of private pleasure and indulgence and decline in the sense of duty and responsibility, would be but a temporary phase. So they hoped also that the present state of unrest and suspicion and hatred among the nations would give way to a higher, nobler conception of patriotism and loyalty, not only to each individual country, but to the great commonwealth of nations. They all hoped and believed that the same emergency which their fallen comrades had to face would not recur in their time, but in one form or another the call of duty was always there. The perils, the dangers, of the country at the present time were not so sensational and dramatic as they were in 1914, but they were grave enough to need

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all their energy and devotion, and it would be only by acting in the same spirit that those old Bristolians whose names and memorial they were honouring that day were animated by that they could build for them a lasting memorial, of which that beautiful screen was only the outward sign.

Col. T. H. Openshaw, president of the Old Boys’ Society, moved a vote of thanks to Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith and the Bishop.

Dr. Cyril Norwood, in seconding, stated that 90 at least of those who fell were at the school with him, and many of them were his friends. Some would have gained distinction, and one, perhaps, would have won a national reputation.

The Head Master, in adding the thanks of the present school to the Bishop and Sir Hubert, said they would like to feel that the names recorded on those tablets might be a perpetual stimulus to all that was best in school life, and pass into the life blood of school tradition. It had not been his privilege to know personally those to whom Dr. Norwood had paid his striking tribute; but he had known others like them, and the one thought that occurred to any schoolmaster was the uniqueness and apartness of those who had so freely given their lives. We lived in troubled and uncertain times; but their glory and their niche were something final and secure. For most of us life became a gradual compromise with material conditions and aims, but they had transcended human weakness in obedience to a hold instinct, so that they taught the lesson that life is not measurable by time. Looking at what they were and what they attained, we could not say their lives had been in any sense cut off. Their lives, rather, had been gloriously completed and consummated. The School would be proud of the beautiful and dignified memorial, the work of an old boy, and was grateful to the Old Boys’ Society for its efforts in giving to the memorial a permanent shape. The school would guard it with care and reverence.

The Bishop, in closing the proceedings, said that no one could have been present that afternoon without feeling the atmosphere and being better for it.

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The German Howitzer April 1920: “In addition to the captured German Machine Gun which the Corps has possessed for some time, the War Trophies Committee, in recognition of the work of the Contingent during the Great War, have presented it with a large German Howitzer.

When this arrives it will be placed in a prominent position near the School entrance.�

Unfortunately, as yet we have been unable to find out what happened to the Howitzer.

It is possible that it was reclaimed during the Second World War, to be melted down.

A World War One German Howitzer

SourceL http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=494

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Oddities Many of those who served have had inaccuracies or a mystery in one way or another.

However, four names on the War Memorial in the Great Hall raised questions as to their validity. A fuller account will be given when we move to detailed information on individuals, but, in brief, Alfred Mosley, Charles James Glasson, John Stuart Rymer and Harold Kingsley Denning pose problems.

Harold Kingsley Denning, BGS 1908-1911, was born in 1894 and appears to have died in 1949. So far no record of service has been found, and there is no one of that name commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. There is however a Private Harold Thomas Denning, 660, 6th Bn., Royal Munster Fusiliers who died on 14 August 1915, and it is possible that the compiler(s) of the Roll of Honour incorrectly identified the casualty.

Charles James Glasson, M.D. Brux., L.R.C.P. Lond., M.R.C.S. Eng. (Captain R.A.M.C. 1915-1920), BGS 1875-1880, held a temporary commission as a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He died suddenly13 February 1921, and as with Rymer there is the possibility that his illness was or was regarded as the result of war service.

Mr Alfred Mosely CMG,BGS Jan-Dec 1870, who also appears on the South African War Memorial, probably never struck a hostile blow or joined any armed force.

However, in both the South African War and the Great War he financed a hospital for the troops, and he died in 1917. It seems likely that his name was included to commemorate this generosity.

John Stuart Rymer, BGS 1907-1912, served as a Gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery.

He died 3 October 1921 in the Ministry of Pensions Hospital, Bath, a military hospital, and his Death Certificate specifically records ‘Ex Gunner RGA, a farmer’; the cause of death is not directly connected to the War, but it is sufficiently likely that this could be why he is included.

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Teachers Many of the teachers facing active service returned to their teaching posts following the end of the War. School Chronicle July 1919: “We also welcome the safe return from the army of Mr. Bridge, Mr. Caudwell, Mr. Burkitt, and Mr. Roberts.”

Mr. Oakford School Chronicle July 1919: “All who knew him will have heard with great regret of the death of Mr. S.C. Oakford who from May 1910, to July 1914, was a master in the Preparatory School. He was admirably fitted to deal with young boys, and both in and out of School was much liked by them. Much of the success of the games was due to his efforts, as he devoted considerable time and trouble to coaching after School hours, and whilst he was with us the rivalry between the two Houses was unusually keen. When war was declared he enlisted in the 4th Devon R.F.A., and sailed from India on October 3rd, 1914. His last visit to the School was on October 2nd, when he said good-bye and left with the good wishes of all with whom he had associated. Two years ago he went to Mesopotamia, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He was expected to resume his duties here in September next, but died at Basra shortly before he was due to sail for England. H.W.G.”

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Oakford, Samuel Collier. School Master between 1910 and 1919. Served in the Army as a NCO. Died 25 March 1919, aged 33. Buried in Basra War Cemetery, Iraq.

Rymer, John Stuart. Attended the School between 1907 and 1912. Served in the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Man. Died 3 October 1921, aged 25. Buried in St. Peter’s Churchyard, Frampton Cotterell, England.

Glasson, Charles Henry. Attended the School between 1875 and 1880. Served in the Royal Army Medical Corps as an Officer. Died 13 February 1921, aged 37.

St. Peter’s Churchyard, Frampton Cotterell Photographed by Elizabeth Pearce, 2014