The Channel Islands and the Great War

"STUDY AND STAND-TO" THE VICTORIA COLLEGE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS

About Victoria College

Victoria College first opened its doors to 109 pupils on 29th September, 1852, an event that was some 350 years later than intended! For, according to GR Balleine (reference 3) it was originally in 1496 that King Henry VII had given his approval for a college to be founded in the Island. This came to naught as did a further attempt a century later during Queen Elizabeth's reign even though this enjoyed the support of the Island's Governor Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1669 Sir George de Carteret persuaded King Charles II to issue an Order in Council instructing the States of Jersey to set aside 2000 livres tournois annually for a college, and with this sum to be raised through the imposition of a tax on wine, brandy, cider and other spirits. The tax was raised, but the college was not built, with the monies funding other public works that were considered more pressing. In time, the need for a college came to be forgotten.

In September, 1846, the first ever visit to Jersey by a ruling monarch, Queen Victoria, and her consort Prince Albert, was considered an event of sufficient import to bring the provision of a college back onto the States' agenda, and thus it was eventually determined that one should be built to commemorate the visit, even though it required the casting vote of the then Bailiff of Jersey. Perhaps it was the thought that Guernseymen were regarded at this time as being better educated? After all, Victoria's sister College in Guernsey, Elizabeth College, had been founded in 1563, and would soon become an established rival in all matters sporting!

A suitable plot of land was bought in the shape of the Mount Pleasant estate on the east side of the town of St Helier, and after a ceremony to lay a foundation stone on 24th May, 1850, Queen Victoria's birthday, and witnessed by a crowd of 20,000 islanders, the college building was erected overlooking the town.

Victoria College quickly established a sound reputation for a high standard of scholarship, this being reflected in the many fellowships, prizes and scholarships awarded in those early days by Oxford and other universities. The school was organised into three divisions, the Lower School for younger boys, the Classics Side which included Latin and Greek, and the Modern Side for those intending business careers. In all cases, French and Mathematics were taught. French at that time was still the main language on the Island but English was becoming more widespread in its use. Although there was educational success, there were still some problems to be overcome, not least the differences between Jersey and England in terms of currency and weights and measures (In Jersey there was 13 pence to a shilling and 11 inches to a foot!).

CB Black, in his travel guide of 1913 (reference 2), states that "Students are specially prepared for the examinations for admission to Woolwich and Sandhurst, and for direct appointments in all branches of the King's Home and Indian Services, whether military, naval or civil" - where Woolwich took in candidates for the Artillery and the Engineers while Sandhurst catered for Cavalry, Infantry, the Army Service Corps and the Indian Army. Since the College was based on the English public school model, Black's words are unsurprising, for the College had been opened when the British Empire was at its zenith. Many parents were themselves ex-Officers and colonial administrators, and it would be only natural for the sons to follow in their fathers' footsteps. There was also a strong military influence in the Island with a military Lieutenant-Governor in post, a sizeable British Army garrison presence and a requirement for all Island males to serve in the Island's Militia. Even so, it is remarkable to note that in the first 25 years following the institution of the Victoria Cross in 1856, awards had been made to three Old Victorians, namely:

Captain Henry William Pitcher - Umbeyla Campaign (1864) Major Reginald William Sartorius - First Ashanti Expedition (1874) Captain Eustace Henry Sartorius - Afghanistan (1879)

These would be added to with two further awards during the Great War to the following Old Victorians:

Lieutenant William Arthur McCrae Bruce - Givenchy, France (1914) Captain Allastair Malcolm Cluny McReady-Diarmid - Moeuvres, France (1917)

Further details regarding Lieutenant Bruce and Captain McReady-Diarmid can be found in the Victoria College Book of Remembrance from here.

Undoubtedly, numerous Old Victorians would have also been involved in many of the British Empire's colonial wars during the latter half of the 19th century, not least the South African War (1899-1902), where the following Old Victorians were amongst those who gave their lives in that campaign:

Philip Walter Jules Le Gallais Alexander Thomas Blackwood Robert Clive Bolton Henry Valentine Douglas Strickland Dunlop John Hill Irwin Charles Digby Wilson John Warwick Morley Frederick Ashbuthnot George Archibald Turnbull

The Pre-War Years

The Jersey Evening Post (reference 4) states that "under the old law of the Island, all Jersey-born boys had on reaching the age of 16 to practice their drills for the Militia. This meant that on one morning a week, they had to present themselves at their parish arsenal, a requirement that affected their schoolwork." This was to become an unacceptable state of affairs, and in 1883, the Lieutenant-Governor (Major-General Henry Wray, CMG) therefore decided that a separate College Militia Cadet Corps was to be formed and attached to the South Militia Regiment, thus minimising the disruption to the boys' education, since drills could be conducted at a more convenient time. This arrangement, which continued for some 20 years, provided College boys with the opportunity to take part in rifle-shooting, a very popular Island activity, and during this period, a shooting competition between Victoria College and Elizabeth College became an annual fixture. Close links with the Militia and thereby the Army were maintained, and a number of Cadets would subsequently apply for commissions in the Militia, and some, such as Lawrence Bosdet Hibbs, would later be awarded temporary commissions in the Army for the duration of the Great War.

A change to these arrangements occurred in 1903 when the College took over the running of the Cadet Corps under the command of Captain Robert R Raymer, although by now, the Corps was affiliated to the 2nd (East) Battalion of the Royal Jersey Light Infantry.

A number of developments and improvements were put in place over the next few years. During early 1905 a Tube Range was completed in the College grounds, and enabled the Cadets to shoot at static, moving and vanishing targets. The April 1905 edition of The Victorian (reference 1) included the comment that "time has taught us that it is on the school rifle range as much if not more than the playing fields, that the battles of the future must be won." The recent South African War could not have been too far from peoples' minds at this time, yet that comment also possessed a prescient quality when, today, one considers the almost murderous firepower of British marksmanship at Mons, Le Cateau and First Ypres. Meanwhile at Easter 1905, a shooting camp was established at the Crabbé Range on the north coast of Jersey and later that year, Victoria College sent a Shooting VIII to compete at Bisley for the first time ever. It is interesting to note, that of those eight Cadets, at least seven would serve in either the armed forces or with the Indian Police during the Great War.

Subsequent editions of The Victorian recount the many shooting competitions that took place, however there was more to membership of the Cadet Corps than possessing skills at arms and annual attendance at Bisley! Due emphasis was given to drill and ceremonial, a requirement on which the Army placed great store (and still does!) to command discipline, enhance personal appearance and bearing, and develop an ésprit de corps in a body of men. This included the formation of a drum and bugle band. Field days feature prominently whereby Cadets could also develop and practise their military skills. There were for example, training periods spent scouting in Vallée des Vaux, whilst route marches to such places as Gorey would find the Cadets being assailed by snipers and skirmishers en-route.

During 1906 the United Kingdom experienced a change of government with the Liberal party replacing the Conservatives. As a result, a new Secretary of State for War was appointed in the shape of Lord Haldane, who immediately put in effect many of the recommended changes from the Elgin and later the Esher Committees that had been established by the Conservative government following the South African War. Most of the changes had no impact whatsoever on the Cadet Corps, however, Haldane did oversee the introduction of the Officer Training Corps as a feeder of qualified candidates for commission in the regular Army. This involved the introduction of OTC at Universities and Junior OTC at public schools, whereby Cadets seeking commissions would have had to sit examinations at both, thus demonstrating a measure of military competence and knowledge. Success would mean the award of a Certificate "A" while still at school and the Certificate "B" at University.

The result of this action by Haldane and the War Office was the establishment of the Victoria College OTC in 1908, and as a consequence it was no longer affiliated to Jersey's Militia. For any Cadet with military aspirations, the fact that it had become an OTC opened up even greater access to the Regular Army, not least with the attendance at the new Public School Camps that were held for all OTC annually during the summer recess. An OTC detachment first ventured across the Channel in 1908 to attend the camp at the Army's Aldershot Command Headquarters. Incidentally, as part of Haldane's reorganisation, the United Kingdom's Militia organisation commenced to be run down as of 1908 and was progressively absorbed to be part of the Army's Special Reserve, the exception being the Militia units in Jersey and Guernsey which would continue their existence.

The varied programme of training would continue apace until the outbreak of war, with frequent shooting competitions, attendance at Bisley, and field days where the Jersey's Militia permanent staff or Regular Army troops garrisoned in Jersey, such as the men of the 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, would provide the OTC with the "enemy" in the mock battles that would range to and fro across the dunes of Les Quennevais, with the Cadets returning to College at the end of the day by train, undoubtedly weary from their exertions!

The OTC was indeed flourishing and in the autumn of 1913 could boast of 103 members including 15 new recruits to fill the gap left by 6 who went to Sandhurst, 1 to Osborne and a further 6 to the Indian Police. Attendance at Public School Camps had become a regular feature in the College's calendar, and in 1913, the OTC would be found in camp at Tidworth on Salisbury Plain with 3 Officers and 49 Cadets attending. However, a year later, the OTC's advanced party would again be at Tidworth, but now with the storm clouds of the Great War rapidly breaking!

The Great War Years

That the nations of Europe had rapidly taken up arms to fight the Great War had a considerable effect on Jersey. The French had mobilised, and more than 2000 French male residents in Jersey had left the Island over the first few days of August, 1914 to rejoin the French Army. This is described in "Pour La Patrie" by Ian Ronayne. Similarly, British Army reservists would head to England to rejoin the colours, while those Jerseymen who were Royal Navy reservists had not been stood down after the Fleet Review in late-July, being retained on board the warships to which they had been assigned or in the Naval Barracks at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham, as a precautionary measure taken by the First Sea Lord, Prince Louis of Battenberg. There were, of course, many Jerseymen who were already serving with the Armed Forces.

In Jersey, the Lieutenant-Governor (Major-General Sir Alexander N Rochfort, KCB, CMG), pre-empted the Imperial government by mobilising the Militia on 30th July, 1914 while an Order in Council signed by HM King George V on 4th August, 1914 called out the Militia Reserve. From there on, the Militia were required to undertake coastal defence duties as well as other tasks in guarding key installations, not least the protection of the telephone cable coming ashore on the north coast of the Island from nearby Guernsey. It seems clear that the military authorities were conscious of the risks of possible German naval raids, and these risks would surely have increased had the diverted British Lines of Communication become a permanent fixture via the French ports of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire after October 1914.

Coincident with the declaration of war, the OTC immediately volunteered to carry out coastal defence duties, and they were assigned a four mile stretch of Jersey's eastern coastline where they were required every fifth night, which involved the services of 40 to 50 Officers and Cadets at a time. Later on, the periodicity decreased to every Saturday night and the number of posts to be manned was also reduced.

During 1915, the Commanding Officer of the OTC and the College's Principal, Captain Arthur H Worrall, who having taken over from Captain Raymer in 1911, left to join the Lincolnshire Regiment on active service. He handed over command to Captain Walter Parnell-Smith a College Master, who would continue as Commanding Officer until August 1919, even though Captain Worrall later resumed his role as Principal during the Great War period, having been wounded. Other College Master and Officers who would serve with the OTC throughout the Great War included Lieutenants Edward Cooper, John Quigley and Percy Tatam.

In February 1917 the States of Jersey introduced a Military Service Act, at which point, all men aged between 18 and 41 would be considered as members of the armed forces, unless they could provide justifiable reasons for exemption. In connection with this, the Militia was disbanded, and its role was assumed by two new full time units, namely the Royal Jersey Garrison Battalion and 110 Company, Royal Garrison Artillery, these being made up of former Militia men. As a result, the OTC was no longer required to carry out the coastal defence duties, and instead would provide guards at the Harbour and at Government House. It is likely that many of the Cadets would have also helped in the shipment of the early crop of Jersey potatoes to the British Army in the early summer of 1917 when there were shortages.

Throughout the War, military training of OTC Cadets continued although, in November 1914, the War Office had suspended its requirements for Cadets to take the Certificate "A" examination. Field days and route marches remained a frequent occurrence along with the musketry camps. However, Public School Camps were no longer arranged by the War Office and, except for one year when the OTC went to Guernsey, OTC summer camps would be held in Jersey.

The Immediate Post-War Years

Life in the OTC quickly returned to a sense of normality after the Great War, with the cessation of guard duties and a resumption of the Public School Camps. However there were several events related to the War that took place in those early years of peace.

Captain Walter Parnell-Smith would hand over as Commanding Officer to Captain Ambrose Middleton Dawson in August 1919, the latter having left the OTC to serve with the Hampshire Regiment, and while serving, being wounded and receiving the Military Cross.

In 1919, it was decided to rename the College Houses, and the four were named after Old Victorians with a military link. Two Houses, Bruce and Sartorius, commemorate the Victoria Cross winners, while another, Dunlop, recalls the loss of six brothers in various campaigns between 1900 and 1918, including Valentine referred to earlier, and Julian and Frederick, both killed in action during the Great War. The final house, Braithwaite, takes its name from Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite, who after having been General Sir Ian Hamilton's Chief of Staff at Gallipoli, went on to become the General Officer Commanding of, first, 62nd (West Riding) Division, and, later, IX Corps during the latter period of the Great War. (It should be noted that it was in 2002 that Diarmid House was created thus recalling Captain McReady-Diarmid's award of the Victoria Cross, while there is no House, as yet, for Captain Pitcher.)

The following year saw the publication of the College's Book of Remembrance, which recalls the service given by 639 Old Victorians during the Great War, of whom, 127 died. Most of these were also former OTC members.

In 1921, King George V visited Victoria College, to be greeted by a Guard of Honour provided by the OTC, lined up in review order.

A further commemoration of those 127 Old Victorians who died during the Great War took place on the 25th September, 1924, when the Lieutenant-Governor (Major-General, The Honourable Sir Francis R Bingham, KCB, KCMG) unveiled the Sir Galahad statue which listed their names without rank or distinction, and on which is inscribed:

"This Figure of Sir Galahad commemorates the Victorians who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918. And come thou too for thou shalt see the vision when I go"

(The name of Emerson Currah was added to the Sir Galahad statue in September 2006, while Hugh Le Febvre who was at College between 1903 and 1909 should be added to the Roll of Service, having served with the Canadians.)

References

1. The Victorian (Victoria College's journal): Various Editions (1903-19) 2. Jersey, Guernsey, Herm, Sark Alderney and Western Normandy by CB Black (1913) 3. The Bailiwick of Jersey by GR Balleine (1951) 4. Jersey Evening Post: Victoria College150th Anniversary supplement (2002) 5. Channel TV: Victoria College -150 Not Out (2002) 6. Call to Arms (The British Army 1914-18) by Charles Messenger (2005)

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the staff and pupils of Victoria College for their assistance in the writing of this article, and in particular the Headmaster, Mr Robert Cook and Officers and Cadets of today's successor to the OTC - the Combined Cadet Force, including Squadron Leader David Rotherham and Lieutenant Christopher Rondel.

Barrie H Bertram
(Old Victorian, 1954-1958)

10th March 2007

Author's Note

This article is subject to revision, and will be shortly amended to include photographs. Any new information for inclusion will be welcomed.

© 2007 Barrie Bertram

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