Old Hulmeians War Memorial 1914

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BRIGADE - ROYAL FUSILIERS

On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and many of the units were organised under the auspices of local organisations up and down the country.

FORMATION

On 10th August 1914 advertisements appeared in the Press calling for junior officers and offering 2,000 temporary commissions in the British Army to single men between the ages of 17 and 30 and extending the offer to cadets and former cadets of University Officer Training Corps, University students and other young men of a good general education.

The 2,000 vacancies were quickly filled and many applications turned down. It was in these circumstances that a letter appeared in The Times of 26th August:

To the Editor of " The Times "

SIR,

We attended the recent meeting (to promote the formation of training centres with a view to preparation for home defence) at the Hotel Cecil to consider the formation of a corps of past public schools men, and found that the organizers only required grey-haired, spare- time veterans. We are between thirty and thirty-five, absolutely fit and game for active service. The meeting showed that there must be hundreds of men in the same position as we are, who, between the years 1898 and 1903, were marksmen, and attended the Bisley musketry camps and Aldershot training camps with school or university corps. We have applied for commissions in the new Regulars, but find we are too old. We have offered our services as musketry instructors, and are informed that we are too young, and that none under thirty-five are selected.

After endless inquiries there seems only one way in which our services are acceptable, and that is by joining the ranks. Many advantages would result if we all joined the same regiment, and all public school men of similar age and qualifications are invited to attend a formal meeting on Thursday next, the 27th instant, at the address below, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., to discuss the formation of a " Legion of Marksmen " with a view to offering its services en bloc to one of the new battalions now being formed.

We should be obliged if you would insert this invitation in your columns.

Yours,

EIGHT UNATTACHED.

59A BROOK STREET,

GROSVENOR SQUARE, W.

The attendance at the meeting was larger than expected and it was moved to Claridge's Hotel. Suggestions were made that those who wished to enlist should join a London Territorial Unit, however it was ultimately agreed that a scheme for raising 5,000 men from old public school boys should be entered into. Sanction was obtained, not without difficulty, from the War Office through Lord Kitchener and recruiting offices were set up throughout the UK. Thus was the formation of the Public Schools Brigade, the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers.

In Manchester, following a meeting held on 3rd September at Manchester University, the Recruiting Office was set up at Manchester Grammar School and in the first week 1,023 men had joined up. Training was initially held at Cheetham's School but this proved too small and on 14th September they moved to Platt Fields in Fallowfield. The majority of recruits enlisted in Manchester formed the 20th Battalion.

The concept of a 'battalion of pals' serving together originated with the 'Stockbrokers Battalion' of the Royal Fusiliers raised in the City of London and was taken up enthusiastically as the 'Pals battalions'. These local and pals battalions formed Kitchener's Fifth New Army, or 'K5', authorised on 10 December 1914.

The four Public Schools Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers formed at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 11 September 1914:

18th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (1st Public Schools)
19th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (2nd Public Schools)
20th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (3rd Public Schools)
21st (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (4th Public Schools)

Their training experience was similar to other Kitchener battalions. Like all Kitchener units, there was an initial shortage of experienced officers and NCOs to train the battalions. The 20th and 21st Battalions were camped at Ashtead and at Leatherhead in Surrey during the winter of October 1914–March 1915 while the others stayed at Epsom.

From 10 December the four battalions constituted 118th Brigade in 39th Division of K5, but when the K5 divisions were reorganised on 27 April 1915 the brigade was transferred to 33rd (formerly 40th) Division and was re-numbered 98th Brigade. By 26 June 1915 the brigade had concentrated at Clipstone Camp in Nottinghamshire and on 1 July the battalions were formally taken over by the War Office. All the infantry of the division were concentrated at Clipstone by 13 July and on 3 August they moved to Salisbury Plain for final battle training, with 98th Bde at Tidworth Camp.

The 28th (Reserve) and 29th (University and Public Schools) (Reserve) Battalions were formed in Epsom in August 1915 as reserve battalions, from depot companies of the four Public Schools Bns.
On 1 September 1916 they converted into the 104th and 105th Training Reserve Battalions in the 24th Reserve Brigade.

Western Front

98th Brigade landed in France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in November 1915, but 18th and 20th Bns were immediately detached on 27 November to join 19th Bde, which had been transferred into 33rd Division to exchange experience. After only a short period learning the routines of trench warfare the 18th, 19th and 21st Battalions were all transferred to GHQ Troops on 27 February 1916 and disbanded on 24 April, when the majority of their personnel were commissioned as officers.

The remaining battalion, 20th (3rd Public Schools), continued serving in 19th Bde.

The majority of recruits enlisted in Manchester formed the 20th Battalion. The School Magazine lists some fifty five Old Hulmeians who enlisted in the various Public Schools Battalions.

Pte 3987 Stanley Birkett, 21st Battalion, 18th February 1915. Stanley embarked for France with the Battalion on 14th November 1915. Born on 31 August 1884, Stanley was 30 years old when he enlisted. The son of an architect, Stanley began his architect training in his father's office in 1901. Studying at the Manchester School of Architecture, he passed the qualifying exam in 1910 and the following year was admitted as an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects and taken into partnership by his father. Following the transfer of the 21st Bn to GHQ Troops, Stanley was attached to the Lancashire Fusiliers and subsequently commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 5th August 1916. On 1st November he was transferred

to the 75th Training Reserve Battalion as a temporary Lieut., which would appear to have been part of the Indian Army, as on 7th October 1917 Stanley was "from acting Lieuts. Training Reserve to be temporary Lieuts. on appointment as probationers to Indian Army Reserve of Officers". It is not known when Stanley went to India but he was initiated into a masonic lodge in Meerut, Bengal, on 4th January 1919. He resigned on 30th September 1919 at which time he presumably returned to England to resume his career as an Architect, becoming sole partner of the practice in 1923. Stanley died on 19th January 1959.

Old Hulmeians War Memorial 1914 - 1918

Western Front