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Commemorating the Great War

Reptonian Editorial, October 1914

This term we welcome a new Headmaster. May his stay here be fraught with pleasure for him and for us. It cannot be denied that he has a hard task before him to deserve a place in the esteem of Reptonians equal to that held by his predecessor; but we are confident that he will not fall far short even in this high aim. Fate has favoured him in sending him at a most auspicious time, when a crisis without has awakened, we hope, in every one of us a new feeling of responsibility and a more definite object in view, which ought to render his task of settling down all the easier.

We have no real doubt that these feelings of duty and responsibility are present in all our minds now, although anything that by any stretch of the imagination can be called sentimental is apt now-a-days to be dismissed at once as ridiculous or effeminate. But the number of O.R.s who are at present serving their country shows that considerations such as these have appealed and are appealing to Reptonians to an extent that may well make us feel pride in our School. In this connection we are requested to ask that names and units of all O.R.s who are serving their country, in whatever capacity, be sent as soon as possible to W. H. Topham, The Thatched House, Repton, Burton¬ on-Trent, either by the O.R.s themselves or by their friends or relations. This requestapplies especially to those whose names do not appear in The Gazette. The object of this is not only that a record may be kept, but also to enable a list to be published that O.R.s may know where to look for each other. We believe that the need of such a list is keenly felt among O.R.s, and we hope it may be possible to bring it out very shortly. We understand that it will be in the form of a supplement to the annual O.R. List, and will be sent direct to all Members of the O.R. Society.

But the O.R.s who have already received commissions or enlisted in the ranks represent only a part of the service Repton has undertaken to perform. Through the O.T.C. we here are preparing ourselves in some small degree in case we are required. Military training that is sandwiched in between school and football without materially affecting either must necessarily be very superficial in a soldier's eyes, but we hope that if any of us get into regiments we shall be able to make a start considerably above the absolute beginner. To our usual parade on Monday is added a second, on Friday. There are lectures, or magnified corps classes, on Tuesdays and Saturdays; while Wednesday afternoons are devoted to field operations. But we must not forget that the School has another duty to perform. No doubt it is the primary duty of the whole of the British Isles in general and Repton in particular to send soldiers to fight for the King, but it is no less the duty of Repton to provide for her own future. England is said, with not a little truth, to be working on the motto, “Business as usual. ” According to the same motto, on us devolves the task of keeping the School going on its ordinary peaceful course: for an England without Repton ought to be inconceivable to every Reptonian. It cannot be denied that life here seems very dull in comparison with the stirring scenes that are being acted so near us, but we may console ourselves with the thought that in staying here we are doing a good work.

Meanwhile, though we are not thrilled with the excitement of war, we are feeling its privations. Our water supply is quite failing to do its duty. It reaches the top of the water tower but then proceeds to lose itself. Whether this leakage is due to the machinations of a German spy in our midst, or merely the result of clumsiness on the part of the men who profess to be laying drains, has not been discovered. If the former is the case we may assure the said spy in confidence that his tricks are not in any way cowing our martial spirit.

Shooting VIII at the Ashburton Shield competition, July 15th 1913.

Half of them died in the Great War.

Letters to the Reptonian from the Front, October 1914

We are glad to be able to print one or two letters from O.R.s who are at present in France, which we hope will be of interest to our readers. We are very grateful to those who have given us these letters, and shall be glad to receive others that may be of general interest.

H. J. C. Hawkins (Priory: 1904-1908), writing on September 21st from No. 3 Company IV Divisional Train, says: “We have been ten days now without a move forward as the Germans have a very strong position here. The Fourth Division are, as you know, right in the thick of it, as they have been all the time. Soon, I believe, we shall manoeuvre the brutes out of their stronghold, and then the advance will continue. I was in that awful retreat and my lot were the rearguard. We had several narrow shaves of being scuppered, but just got away in time. Rather sport, once or twice, being chased by Uhlans. A day or two ago I got knocked over by one of those high explosive shells, which burst fifteen yards off me, but luckily for me they are very local and don't do much damage except where they burst. But if they hit you, goodbye. They blew six of my heavy draught horses to bits the next day; you could only see the head and neck of two of them afterwards. One driver of a wagon was blown off his box, but was not killed. The others were all wounded badly. Now we have to take the supplies up to the troops in the dark. That first fortnight nearly killed me; I never got any sleep at all. Now we are stationary it's all right; like being in heaven. Our losses have been very few lately, but the number of wounded compared with those killed is extraordinarily out of proportion with former wars. This is due to the enormous shell fire compared with rifle fire. Five hundred German shells killed one man and wounded one yesterday. The man was not in the place where he ought to have been, and that is why he was killed. ”

W. S. Allen (Priory: 1909-1913), Corporal R.E. (Motor Cyclist), under the heading "General Headquarters, British Expeditionary Force, France, " writes: “I am out here as a dispatch rider and am getting a good deal to do. They made all motor cyclists corporals in the R.E.s. We don't go up to the actual firing line very often, but when we do we make a good mark. I had a shrapnel quite close enough to be comfortable the other day. All these letters have to be censored, so I cannot give any news. I had my third wash (all over) in six weeks today; I was thankful for it. ”

We also think that the following extracts from a letter referring to M. J. Livingstone-Learmonth (Orchard: 1908-1913), 2nd Lieutenant Irish Guards, will be of interest: “Jack has been in all the engagements from Mons onwards, and at Compiègne he carried five men out of action. The next day his right leg gave out. Of course he had some extraordinary escapes: a bullet through his left puttie, knocked down by the base of a shell, and a shrapnel bullet hitting him on the stomach. At Landrecies he had a hair-breadth escape from capture by Uhlans. The regiment was in billets, and he and another officer were sleeping in a grocer's shop. In the night word was passed round to move on as the Germans were approaching. No bugler. The man sent to tell Jack and his friend rushed off with the transport and never came near them, and they were awakened by a shell bursting in the house opposite, which broke the glass of the window of the room they were in. Hurriedly dressing they found the Germans in occupation, and had to hide in a cellar; then, seeing a British Red Cross man riding down the street, they hid behind his horse and got some way without being discovered. When they were seen they bolted into a public-house and out the other side, then through a churchyard and down the main road for all they were worth. Soon about thirty Uhlans came thundering after them with lances levelled, and when they thought all was up five men of “The Queens” showed out in the road from behind a house, and the Uhlans turned tail and bolted back. But they were not ten yards off when they turned; too close to be pleasant.

He left the front five days ago, having been put in charge of German prisoners—six officers and 353 men—whom he delivered safely at Southampton yesterday, having brought them all through France to St. Nazaire by train, from which place they embarked. ”

Letter to the Editor of the Reptonian, December 1914

Dear Sirs,

Would it not be more patriotic if the National Anthem was sung in Chapel more often? After all it helps to remind us that England is at war, and Repton is part of England!

Yours, etc., ‘Patriot. ’

Reptonian Editorial, November 1914

REPTON, and indeed all England, is at present undergoing a searching criticism; for England is now being flooded with foreign refugees: not cosmopolitan travellers who have become indifferent to strange sights, and will pass by national eccentricities without comment, but commonplace citizens of some large manufacturing town or rough country peasants, to whom the very idea of customs different from their own is strange, and who must at once remark on any novel sight. In short, they must be continually criticising.

This is not a plea that we should be on our best behaviour for the benefit of those unfortunates who have been driven from their homes and forced to seek shelter in a strange land. But we do wonder what they are thinking of us and our ways. It is our opinion that, though no doubt, if we may say so with boasting, they have strong feelings of gratitude towards us, those feelings are tempered by wonder and even pity. Here are families, very likely just escaped by the skin of their teeth - we hear indeed that some refugees at Hilton are actually wounded - men and women who have seen the hordes of the Kaiser's armies and heard the roar of the German siege guns, and they come to Repton, barely 250 miles from Antwerp, and find us carrying on our school life exactly as usual. These Belgians may see our martial prowess on Wednesday afternoons, but on Thursdays it has all passed away, and boys straggle out in the teeth of a biting wind, with bare knees and every other sign of discomfort, to spend their leisure in a game of football. C'est Magni¬fique –possibly -mais ce n’est pas la guerre.

We do not suggest that football ought to be dropped; far from it. As a game it may have its disadvantages, but the theory of continuing our normal round is the best we can hold. But though we must not let the war affect the Latin con., we must not let it pass out of mind. Indeed we cannot. Our Roll of Honour in each issue drives home for us the stern reality of our danger. As the papers are continually impressing on us, England wants men now, and in the future she will want men, men, more men. We must not forget that now we have to subordinate all our occupa¬tions to one end, how to beat back and crush the Germans. For we are quite unable to realise how vastly the lives of everyone of us would be affected if we were beaten. We do not wish to seem pessimistic; but looked at in the most favourable light, the more seriously we set out to oppose the enemy, the sooner will the war be over.

Above all, we must not grumble at the extremely light burden of Corps routine which is imposed on us here.

John Cann’s (O’49) father never talked much about his experiences during the war. We are very grateful to John for sharing his few precious memories.

Hugh John Cann (O’1910) (1896 – 1957) was born in Somerset and in 1910 went to Repton where he was in Pat Exham’s House, now the Orchard. I do not think that he achieved much academically, and in his last year he was in The Army Class. Whether this was because those aiming to join the army had a different syllabus, or were not very academic is not known. Whilst he was at Repton he was in the shooting VIII and it was from this that he took an instant liking to Bisley. He won the school Bisley Shield for the best shot in 1914. At the end of July 1914 the school went to cadet camp. In those days all boys joined the OTC as it was called, and all boys had to go to camp. Whilst at camp the war broke out, and one morning all those prepared to go to the war were asked to take a step forward. All the army class did, as well as many others of the right age. Camp was disbanded and the boys went home. A few weeks later my father got a telegram telling him to report to The War Office (now MOD) for an interview. At the interview he was told that he had been selected for Sandhurst, and when asked when he was to go they replied ‘tomorrow’ . Off he went to Sandhurst and later was commissioned into The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (The Loyals) where his uncle and godfather was a colonel. Sometime in 1915 he went with his battalion to France and served near Ypres. He never talked about the war. He only said a few things: 1. He never drew his pistol, because those carrying a pistol were the targets for the enemy especially their snipers. Instead he carried a rifle, which was probably a good thing, and his Bisley experience was obviously an advantage. 2. He tucked his sword behind him so that it was not obvious. He told me that he only used his sword when out of the line in a rest area as a toasting fork as the bread was rather stale. 3. In 1917 when he was in the trenches he had his 21st birthday. He was called back to Battalion Headquarters to be given half a pint of beer by the Commanding Officer and wished a happy 21st. When he finished his beer he was told to get back to his men in the trenches. 4. At some time during the war he was wounded, and was in hospital, but I do not know the details. 5. He was later transferred to The Royal Engineers – Signal Section, as he could ride,and he became the Brigade Signals Officer. The

Brigade Signals Troop were all mounted then. The only means of communication in those days, besides pigeons, was the field telephone, and they had to lay line forward from the Brigade Headquarters to the Battalions. I understood that, with his very capable sergeant, they virtually invented the ‘earth return’ by using a fence instead of the issued cable when the distance to one of the battalions was further than the regulation amount of cable issued.