23 year old George Rawlings, a second generation Bloxhamist, was a pupil at the school between 1906 and 1910, and entered the military academy at Woolwich on leaving, accepting a commission into the Hampshire Regiment.  He served as part of the BEF and was wounded in the retreat from Mons.

 

He went with his regiment to India in 1914 serving in Quetta.  He was killed by a single shot from a Turkish sniper.  One of his brother officers, Captain F H Burnett wrote to his father stating:

 

 

He was buried where he fell but his grave was destroyed in later battles and as such he is commemorated on the Basra Memorial in Iraq.

 

Lt Ralph Hill was the eldest son of Charles and Elly Hill of Old Park Road, Palmers Green in London, and was a pupil at the school between 1904 and 1909.

 

He sailed from Southampton on board the SS Cornwall for Cape Town in South Africa and on arrival he worked at the University in Cape Town.  He shortly afterwards enlisted into the South African Police and served in Kwa Zulu Natal, as part of a mounted section.

 

At the outbreak of war he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt into the Kings African Rifles, serving mostly in East Africa, and was commissioned as a Lt, in early 1916.  He was wounded in September 1916, his injuries being compounded by receiving a snake bite whilst waiting to be rescued.

 

He recovered sufficiently from his wounds to keep fighting and was twice mentionned in despatches for gallant conduct in the field.  A letter from Captain William Clachan described one of the incidents that Hill was mentionned in despatches for.  He wrote:

 

 

A letter written by Hill to his mother talks about the heavy fighting he has experienced and talks poignantly about one his pals:

 

 

Hill's outstanding bravery was recognised with the award of a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) which appeared in the London Gazette and stated "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in carrying out dangerous reconnaisances; on one occasion with another man he penetrated an enemy position and captured an outpost.  The information he brought back enabled a successful attack to be made."

His father collected the posthumous medal from King George V on June 2nd in Hyde Park.

 

Hill's luck finally ran out in February 1917 when he was killed in heavy fighting whilst the Battalion was traversing a wadi, near Tandela in East Africa.  He was 24 years old.

 

 

 

Captain Herbert Bidlake was a native of Surrey who was a pupil at the school from 1909 to 1911.  His father was Dr Henry Bidlake, a pioneering surgeon who did much work on the fitting of prothestic limbs, working out of the London Hospital in Whitechapel.

 

The youngest of 9 children (7 being girls!), Herbert joined the Army on the 15th January 1915 as a 2nd Lt in the Worcestershire Regiment.  He enlisted at Worcester Cathedral recruiting office with a large draft of men, who were each blessed by the Bishop of Worcester as they left the building.  He completed his basic training, and joined his regiment in the Middle East.  He was severely wounded by an incendiary shell and suffered terrible leg burns, and was in hospital for several months, before rejoining the regiment in January 1917.  He was soon promoted to Captain and  was killed in action near Kut in February 1917. 

 

A letter from his commanding officer must have provided little solace for his family:

 

"I can truthfully say he was my best company commander, he had an oppertunity of showing his worth in an attack on a strong point about a fortnight ago, and did his work so well, it was brought to the attention of the Brigadier.  Had he lived he would have been recommended for reward."

 

Mention is made of his bravery when in December 1916 he remained in post despite a severe gunshot to the arm for two days. He was 20 years old when he died and was mentionned in despatches for bravery.

 

Arthur Bigwood was a native of Wolverhampton, and was the son of Ernest Bigwood, a smelter at the Netherton and Dudley Smelting works.  He was a pupil at the school from 1902 to 1904 and on leaving the school, he worked as an engineer at the Porth Talwyn coal mine in South Wales.

 

He was an Old Contemptible and served with the Royal Engineers throughout the War.  He spent much of his time as tunnelling expert, presumably drawing on the experience he gained in his working life.  He was selected to be the Captain's runner, and on the 11th March 1917, he received orders to proceed to Base and collect a new bicycle for the Captain's use.

 

Whilst returning from collecting the bicycle he stopped short of the trenches to clean the mud from the bike with water from a stream.  Whilst doing this, his spine was severed by shrapnel and he died instantly.  His grave was decorated with a carved oak cross made by one of his colleagues. 

 

He is commemorated on the Wolverhampton War Memorial, and also on the Bilston Memorial in the West Midlands.

 

Maurice Adams was a pupil at the school between 1898 and 1900, before leaving to study at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.  He worked for the 1st National Bank of New Zealand, until the outbreak of war when he enlisted in the Field Artillery.

 

He served with his regiment throughout, before being killed by an explosion in the breech of his own gun, on which he was a shell loader.  The 6 other men of the gun crew were also killed at the same time.

 

He was married in 1907 to Nelly Carter of Manawatu New Zealand and had two children.  He was 32 years old when he died.

 

Private Richard Frank Bolton was the son of Richard and Emily Bolton and is shown on the 1901 census as having been born in Rugby, Warwickshire, the 3rd of six children.

 

At the outbreak of War he enlisted into the Canadian Infantry and served throughout the War. 

 

As part of the build up to the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Bolton was engaged in constructing a light railway on the rear slopes of the ridge when he was killed by a shell explosion.  He was 23 years old when he died.

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Turner was another career soldier Old Bloxhamist who entered the Royal Military Academy in 1894 and was commissioned into the Queens Own Hussars in 1897.  He served with the regiment in India, and then again in the South African War.

 

His time in South Africa did not always run according to plan, and he was subjected to a court martial whilst employed as quarter-master, for "the mysterious and unexplained disappearance of 20 bottles of champagne from the Adjutant's collection." He was sentenced to the loss of one months pay.

 

He was soon promoted back to Lieutenant and on the outbreak of War proceeded to France with his regiment.  He was wounded in 1916 near Albert on the Somme, and was eventually killed in action whilst serving with D Battery, of the 5th Brigade Royal Field Artillery in France.  His death was recorded as being as a result of enemy shell fire.

 

He had been married for 6 years to Evelyn, of Milestone Cottage, Wickford in Essex when he died. They had had three children.  His grandson still lives in Essex and retired in 2007 having been a postman for 68 years.

 

Morris was a pupil at the school from 1905 to 1910 and was the son of the Reverend Alfred and Anne Morris of Abingdon.  He was born in Thame and on leaving the school worked as a printer in Oxford.

 

He enlisted in Abingdon and having completed his basic training, was posted to the 9th Royal Fusiliers.  He served initially as a rifleman before joining the Machine Gun section February 1917.  He was wounded and on his return to the regiment was posted to C section, 9th Royal Fusiliers, and was killed in action on the 4th July 1917.  The war diary states that the Battalion was involved in a diversionary attack on German lines and it is believed that Morris was killed by shellfire in this action.

 

 

John Nuthall was a master at the school between 1912 and 1914, leaving at the end of the summer term to take up a post as a teacher and the College of Law in East Grinstead.

 

Whilst in London he enlisted in the Inns of Court Officer training Corps and served with them in the United Kingdom until he was conscripted into the Army, being placed in the Machine Gun Corps. 

 

On the night of the 13th July 1917 he was killed as part of a ration party.  Lt Owen Bentley wrote:

 

"In pursuit of his duty he accompanied the ration party up to forward headquarters, and having perfomed his duty he was struck by shrapnel as he left the town.  Though alive when we picked him up, he soon died of his wounds a few minutes later, without any apparent suffering."

 

He had been married for 2 years to Evelyn Ormond and had two children.

 

Cyprian Borton was a pupil at the school between 1890-1893, and was another old boy who made a career from the Army.  Following Bloxham, he attended Felsted School and then Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he read Latin.

 

The outbreak of the South African War saw him obtain a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Worcestershire Regiment.  He served with some distinction in this war and was twice promoted in the field, as well as receiving the Queens Medal with 3 clasps.

 

He was transferred on promotion for a short time to the Suffolk Regiment and then moved once again to The Duke of Cornwalls Own Baluchi's with whom he served in India.  He continued the sporting prowess he showed throughout his life and was a keen oarsman and cricketer and often sent home heads and skins from his many hunting trips.

 

He served throughout the Far East with the Malay Straits guides, and at the outbreak of war was sent to the Middle East.  On the 2nd August 1917 he was commanding a party engaged on a raid against enemy lines, when he was killed by a single bullet.

 

His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel CWB Lees wrote of him:

 

 

 

I have been unable to find any information about this man.

 

He is reported as being killed in action, and his body was never found. 

 

The le Poer Trench family have a wide and varied military history, and Derrick followed the traditional route and joined the military, having been a pupil at the school from 1893 to 1898. 

 

Having progressed through RMA Sandhurst he joined the Royal Artillery and worked his way through the ranks to end up as a Major.

 

He was killed by shell fire, in the same explosion that killed Brigadier General Malcolm Peake.  Trench appears to have been an extremely brave man, having been mentionned in despatches no less than 5 times, and having been awarded an MC and a DSO for gallant conduct.

 

He was 35 years old when he died.

 

There is very little information about this man, other than he was a pupil at the school between 1892 - 1900, and emigrated to Canada on leaving school.

 

He served with the Canadian Infantry throughout and was twice wounded, and was killed in action shortly after returning from his second wound.

 

He married shortly before coming to France, but no details are known of his wife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alick Sawyer was a pupil at the school between 1906 and 1910 and having left moved overseas to work as a farmer.

 

His service record paints a picture of a man well suited to the tough outdoor life, well over 6 feet tall and over 100kgs in weight, he appears to have been a bear of a man.

 

Before the war he served with the Denbighshire Hussars, and at the outbreak of war rejoined them, before transferring on commission to the machine gun corps.

 

He was horrifically injured whilst serving near Pilkem Ridge in Belgium and was transferred to a base hospital on the coast, and his service records contains the tragic correspondance between his mother and the war office, where army bureaucracy prevented a mother from saying her final goodbyes to her son.

 

The Sawyers received a telegram from the War Office informing that their son had been severely wounded on the 28th November 1917.  Mrs Sawyer immediately telegrammed requesting a travel warrant to visit France with Sawyers younger sister.  The War Office replied saying that travel warrants could only be provided for immediate family, and his sister did not qualify, therefore the application would have to be re-submitted.

 

Mrs Sawyer then returned the necessary forms, only for the War Office to send them back, requesting a further signature that had been missed from the original form.  This was duly returned to the War Office who once again sent it back as the money order sent by Mrs Sawyer was 1 pence short.  The War Office finally telegrammed back on the 11th December to say that the travel warrant would be despatched.

 

A final telegram arrived on the 13th instructing the family that the travel warrant would not be issued, as their son was dead.

 

This has to be one of the saddest service records I have been fortunate enough to read.

 

I have been unable to find any information about this man.

 

Kruger was working as an engineer in Italy at the outbreak of war and immediately returned home.  He applied for a commission in the Royal Naval Air Service, but suffered from a terrible stammer which prevented him from obtaining his commission.

 

He served with the RNAS thoughout and in particular saw action at Gallipoli in 1915.  He reapplied for a commission and was once again rejected on account of his stammering.  He then transferred to King Edwards Horse and applied for a commission which once again was rejected. 

 

He was recommended to apply for the Royal Flying Corps, but failed the entrance owing to his stammer and eventually found himself as a private in the Northumberland Fusilers.  He volunteered for front line duty and was involved when the company on his left lost touch with his own.  He offered to try and make contact, and was never seen again.

 

His name appears on the memorial to the missing at Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth War cemetery in the world.

 

The only information about this man is that he formerly served in the Queens Own Oxford Hussars before transferring to the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry.

 

He was killed in action near Passchendaele on the night fo the 20th December.  The Battalion war diary records that nothing remarkable happened that day.

 

He was 20 years old when he died.