Piecing together the past: The men of Wadham College, 1915

A sepia-toned photograph, purchased from a charity shop for £1 by Adrian Maasz, has become the centrepiece of a five-year research effort, recently featured in a BBC News article.

Taken in late 1915 at Wadham College, Oxford, the image captures 48 men from the military officer class at the outset of their wartime service.

Adrian initially shared the photograph on the Great War Forum. Members scoured the photos for clues, like regimental badges and medal ribbons, and searched newspapers and rolls of honour.

The project gained momentum when a PhD candidate found a list of names for that year’s military officer programme in Oxford University archives. This breakthrough allowed Adrian and forum members to connect faces to names.

About 75% of the men in the image have been identified. Nearly 40% of them died during the war. One was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Others, like Alan Wynne Apperley, survived and went on to build post-war lives.

Of those unidentified, six men are from the Durham Light Infantry. Potential matches are:

• Alan Wynne Apperley (Durham, b. 1885)
• John Cook (Hartlepool, 25 years old in 1915)
• John Williams (Yorkshire, 26 at the time)
• Vere Leopold Dunstan Beart (London, 21)
• William Dunbar Anderson (Newcastle, 27)
• An unidentified soldier, possibly linked to “AG Brown” or “JH Kearns.”

The BBC News story has a photo gallery of the six unidentified officers of the Durham Light Infantry.

The project underscores the power of collaboration in historical research. With persistence, collaboration, and a little luck, Adrian and the Great War Forum have brought this historical image to life.

Adrian welcomes further input from local historians, military archives, and descendants to complete the puzzle.

Visit the Great War Forum.