EDUCATION
6
APRI L
2014
I
n thisedition, rather thanwriteoncurrent topicsofeducational
controversy,wearedevotingourcolumn toan issue thatwillbeat the
heartof the teachingofhistory in independentschools thisyear.This
yearmarks thecentenaryof theFirstWorldWar,aconflict thatchanged
Britain forever. In2014,MerchantTaylors’Schoolwillcommemorateall
thosewhoserved,and inparticularremember the invaluablecontribution
madebyOldMerchantTaylors (OMTs) inawar thatwenowrecognizeas the
greatestcollectiveundertaking inBritishhistory.
DULCEETDECORUMEST
On theeveofwar in1914, theBritisharmywasasmall,butwell-trained
fighting forceof247,432regularofficersandmen,verydifferent from the
massfieldarmiesofFrance,Russia,andGermany.R.B.Haldane (theLiberal
SecretaryOfState forWar)whocreatedanexpeditionary forceofsix infantry
divisionsandone largecavalrydivisionhadreformed itbetween1906and
1909. Inaddition,Haldanehadsought to improve the trainingofofficersand
looked to thepublicschoolsofEngland toprovidesuitablerecruits.From
the1880s, thepublicschoolshadbeenan increasinglyrichbreedingground
forpotentialofficersandaccounted for three-quartersof theWoolwichentry
(for theartilleryandengineers)andoverone-halfof theSandhurstentry
(forofficersofotherarms) in1896-1900.Haldanehoped that thepublic
schoolswouldplayapart inarejuvenationof thearmed forcesand theWard
Committeeof1906advised thatexistingschoolcadetcorpsanduniversity
riflevolunteerunitsshouldbeunited to form theOfficers’TrainingCorps
(OTC).Once founded in1908, theyproved immenselypopular,andby1910,
therewere152contingents in the ‘JuniorDivision’atschoolssuchasEton,
Haileybury,andUppingham,and19 in the ‘SeniorDivision’atuniversities.
Following theoutbreakofwar in thesummerof1914, theBritish
ExpeditionaryForce (BEF)wassent toFrance.Between thesummerand
Christmasof thatyear, theBEF lost16,200menkilled,47,707woundedand
another16,746missingand takenprisoner.Mostof thesecasualtieshad
beensustainedby theregulararmy,which immediatelycalled forvolunteers
toenlist. In thenexteighteenmonths,2,466,719menanswered thecall
toarms,andbetweenAugust1914andMarch1915,20,577officerswere
commissioned fromOTCs,whilst it isestimatedanother12,290ex-OTCmen
wereserving in theBritishArmy.Theschoolshaddone their jobbutwere
fated toberackedbygrief,onanunprecedentedscale, inrecompense.
SOMECORNEROFAFOREIGNFIELD
Asoneof the ‘GreatNine’ schoolsofEngland, itwasentirelyfitting that
MerchantTaylors’ shouldhaveacadet forcealthough itsexactorigins
remainamystery.Whileboyswere involved inexternalunits from1878,
theofficial establishmentof theCombinedCadetForce (CCF)wasnot
untilMarch9, 1900. It swiftlybecamean integralpartof school lifeand
flourished in theearlyyearsof the twentiethcentury;many former
membersof thecorpsservedduring theconflict.Throughout thewar,
precisely1820OMTsserved, including three recipientsof theVictoria
Cross, themosthighlycoveteddecoration in theBritishArmedForces.
Lieutenant J.C.Barrett,MidshipmanG.L.DrewryandCaptainA.O.Pollard
wereall awardedVCs forconspicuousbravery,whilst297otherOMTs
receivedwarhonours.One insixOMTsweredecorated for theirservices in
HisMajesty’sArmedForces.Withghoulishsymmetry, approximatelyone
insixOMTswerekilledonActiveService too, fearful losses foranyschool
tobear. Inaddition, 245werewoundedorgassedwhilst297OMTsdied,
including thegreatEngland rugbyunion international JohnRaphael.
WORLDWARONEHUNDRED
Tocommemorate thecentenaryof theFirstWorldWarand thepart
playedbyMerchantTaylors’ School in theconflict, theSchool is
inauguratingaseriesofevents–WorldWar100–whichwill run for
fouryears.They includecreatingan interactiveonline resourcewhere
today’sboyswill researchOMTswhoserved in theconflict, andwhere
familieswithhistoric links to theschool canupload informationabout
the involvementof theirancestors.Therewill alsobeanemphasison
the roleofEmpire, reflecting the richculturaldiversityofMerchant
Taylors’ today:over8,500,000men fromall cornersof theearthserved
in theBritishArmy in theFirstWorldWar.
Inaddition,wewill hostMaxHastings, authorof ‘Catastrophe:
EuropeGoes toWar’ thisApril 30, undertake trips to the ImperialWar
Museum inconjunctionwithourannual visits to theSomme, host
art exhibitions, dramaworkshopsandproductions,majorconcerts,
poetry recitals, cross-curricular learningandundertakehistorical
scholarship.Finally,wewillutilize theSchool,OMT&Merchant
Taylors’Companyarchives tocreateaBookofRemembrance forall
OMTswhoserved inWorldWar1. It isouraim tobequeatha legacy to
thenextgenerationofOMTs, andwehope that theywillunderstand,
honour, and remember thesacrificesmadeby theirpredecessorsone
hundredyearsago:“Time, likeanever rollingstream,bearsall itssons
away; theyfly, forgotten, asadreamdiesat theopeningday”.Wewill
never forget them.
BYMICHAELHALE
, HISTORYTEACHERATMERCHANTTAYLORS’ SCHOOL
WORLDWAR
100
