In this episode of the Mentioned in Dispatches podcast, Timothy Halstead takes us on a journey through the involvement public school boys in the First World War, challenging traditional perceptions and offering fresh insights into their role and experiences.
Drawing from his ground-breaking work, “More Than Victims of Horace,” Halstead unveils the complexities of this narrative, demonstrating that the reality was far more nuanced than previously believed.
Through meticulous research and analysis, Halstead explores the professionalisation of the British Army in the years leading up to 1914 and its evolving relationship with public schools. He delves into the diverse educational approaches of these schools and how they prepared their boys for war, examining the range of skills needed for the army’s rapid expansion and effectiveness on the battlefield.
Moreover, Halstead examines the contributions of public schools to the war effort on the home front, highlighting their role in supporting the nation in arms. Drawing from archival sources and the records of the Headmasters’ Conference, “More Than Victims of Horace” offers the first scholarly analysis of public schools during 1914–1918, providing invaluable insights into this pivotal period of history.
Timothy Halstead was educated at Uppingham and studied for an MA in British First World War Studies at the University of Birmingham. His MA dissertation examined public school ethos in the Great War using Uppingham as a case study. Previously, he has had papers published on Uppingham in War and Society, and on the Junior OTC before the Great War in the British Journal of Military History. His first book was A School in Arms: Uppingham and the Great War and he has also contributed a chapter to At All Costs: The British Army on the Western Front 1916, edited by Spencer Jones. He is a member of the British Commission of Military History and the Army Records Society. When he is not researching and writing about military history, he advises on data protection matters. He is married with two grown up children and lives in Hertfordshire.