Oxford Journal Illustrated and the Outbreak of WWI

OXFORD JOURNAL ILLUSTRATED

AND THE

OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR ONE

O X F O R D J O U R N A L I L L U S T R A T E D A N D T H E O U T B R E A K O F W O R L D W A R O N E

THE ASSASSINATION OF ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND

The murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on 28th June 1914 was the

event that triggered the First World War

The Oxford Journal Illustrated, a weekly newspaper published 4 days later on 1st July, reported briefly on

the event on page 5

The front page concentrated on local news, the Encaenia procession of the University of Oxford, and

reported no further information on the growing international crisis until

the end of July


BRITAIN DECLARES WAR

On Tuesday 4th August the Foreign Office issued a statement that because Germany refused to provide assurances to respect Belgian neutrality a state of

war existed from 11 pm

This was too late for the newspaper to change its print-run for the next day’s issue which contained

primarily local news

However the following week, 12th August, much of the newspaper was devoted to the outbreak of war

which henceforth dominated its reports, photographs and features


CALL UP OF THE RESERVISTS

The first troops to be called up were the Oxfordshire Territorials of the 4th Battalion of the Oxon and

Bucks Light Infantry (OBLI)

Once orders to mobilise were received at 5pm on Tuesday 4th August the territorial units were

gathered together at various mobilisation points throughout Oxford City – mostly colleges such as

Balliol, Christ Church, Keble and New College



The colours of the 4th Battalion were deposited at Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday morning

(August 6th)

On Friday and Saturday parades and drills took place in the Parks after which the various Companies of Territorials marched with their baggage waggons

through the streets of Oxford to the railway station to enthusiastic send-offs from the crowds



‘A’ Company of City Reservists was the first to leave its billets at Balliol College at 7 o’clock in the

morning and marched to the station via Beaumont Street and Hythe Bridge Street

They were followed by ‘H’ and ‘B’ Companies at Keble and ‘D’ Company of Henley and Culham

reservists, departing from New College



‘the men, themselves, were in very high spirits, and passed away the time they had to spend outside the

station singing song after song, including all the latest rag-times and the ditty “Good-bye Dolly Gray”

which was so popular at the time of the South African War.. A large number of people gained

admittance to the platform, and the train left the station amid resounding cheers….’


CIVILIAN PATRIOTISM

The call to arms received an immediate response from civilians in several ways

Oxford, being a literary and intellectual capital, was quick to produce verses to stir up righteous

indignation like ‘The Call’ by ‘ECD’ of 6 Merton Street, Oxford


CIVILIAN PATRIOTISM

Pictures of children in uniform could also stir up feelings to remind people of what was at stake


ANIMALS GO TO WAR

As well as the troops and their equipment horses were commandeered for war purposes such as these

waiting to be dispatched at Abingdon Railway Station


PREPARING FOR THE WOUNDED

Throughout the country hospitals were set up – using civilian hospitals and other facilities, as well as some

large private buildings

The first hospital in Oxford, the Third Southern General, was set up at the University Examination Schools and was formally opened by the Bishop of

Oxford on Sunday 16th August


PREPARING FOR THE WOUNDED

Later Blenheim Palace, Oxford Town Hall and the Workhouse in Cowley Road were used as extension

hospitals for the 3rd Southern General


RECRUITING KITCHENER’S ARMY

As soon as war began the Minister for War, Lord Kitchener, issued an appeal for an additional

100,000 men to join the regular army – the first advertisement appeared in the newspaper on 12th

August

And he instructed leaders of the local Territorial Force Associations as well as civic dignitaries to use

their full influence to gain the new recruits.



Men who enlisted were to join the regular rather than territorial units and were required for 3 years

or the duration of the war

Initially enlistment was restricted to those between the ages of 19-30

New recruits were to be accommodated and trained in camps established near existing regular depots



Kitchener’s emissaries put forward very persuasive opinions, such as: –

the need to prevent the destruction of France and Belgium and to defeat the enemy on land rather than

at sea

the current disadvantage in numbers being caused by Britain’s voluntary system of enlistment unlike

the continental armies

the great effort going on in other ways to support the war which were subsidiary to this key goal



An early example of the recruitment campaign was a mass-meeting held in the Town Hall on Tuesday evening 18th August at which nearly 2000 people

attended

The Hall was draped in Union Jacks and there were rousing renditions of patriotic songs in which

everyone participated

The meeting was led by dignitaries, including the Mayor and Viscount Valentia, who encouraged young

men to join up in support of king & country


WAR RELIEF

There was great concern that the outbreak of war might cause unemployment and severe hardship to

the dependents of the fighting men

In response to a national relief fund set up by the Prince of Wales, local relief funds were set up in

many towns and districts and subscriptions invited which could be earmarked for either the national or

local fund

In the spirit of patriotism many individuals were keen to volunteer their services


WAR RELIEF

Ingenious methods were devised to raise funds, for example a ‘rose day’ was held in Oxford on

Wednesday 26th August

Mr G Price, a ‘well-known local rose grower’ gave the Emergency Committee 2000 roses to be sold in the

streets by volunteers


WAR RELIEF

The first of a series of concerts arranged by Dr H P Allen was held at the Town Hall on the evening of

Saturday 29th August to raise funds

The paper continued to report on ‘Dr Allen’s Patriotic Concerts’ in ensuing editions, outlining the

programmes in each


WAR FEVER

Within a short period patriotism and enthusiasm for war turned quickly into ‘war fever’

One early example (2nd September) was this ‘war

scare’ in “one of the quiet, out-of-the-way villages in the Vale of the White Horse” when “a well-known Oxford and photographer, with his assistant” were

mistaken for German spies

The photographer was probably Henry Taunt


WAR FEVER

On 16th September the newspaper reported that seven Germans were arrested in Oxford and sent to

Frimbley Detention Camp in Aldershot

They included ‘four German Extension Students, a German Doctor of Science, a bookseller, and a

German member of the Oxford Hungarian Band’


WAR FEVER

Businesses, were happy to use ‘war fever’ to promote their products such as the advertisement of a coal merchant in Cornmarket who advised ‘aggressive’

action against rising prices by buying ‘Stevens’ Cobbles and Scotch Nuts’


WAR FEVER

The newspaper also highlighted various souvenirs brought back from the war by wounded soldiers,

including:

‘an ivory image of a gorilla, taken from the dead body of a German officer, previously stolen from a

Belgian cathedral’ (21st October)


FOR THOSE AT HOME

A popular pre-war weekly feature for housewives was ‘For Those at Home: A Page of Fashion, Social News

and Domestic Hints’ by ‘Barbara Bocardo’ which continued into the early months of the war

Whether or not Barbara Bocardo was a real woman or pseudonym for a (male?) columnist her views were

respectably middle class and towed the ‘party-line’


FOR THOSE AT HOME

Her first full feature on the war, ‘The State of Affairs’ on 12th August, expressed satisfaction at the

embarrassment of the Labour leadership (Ramsey Macdonald) in opposing the war against the wishes

of many workers, one of whom told her:

“Germany wants wiping off the face of the earth”

Other articles refer to women helping with ambulance work and preparing bandages, and she also has a swipe at French cuisine and laments the

impact of the war on marriage arrangements


FOR THOSE AT HOME

Later articles feature ways of providing more practical help for soldiers and the war effort whilst

maintaining concern with fashion and the housewife’s role

Practical suggestions included a ‘knitted sleeping helmet wanted by our soldiers’ which was clearly also designed as an advertisement for ‘Weldon’s Garment

and Hospital Comforts’


FOR THOSE AT HOME

‘For those at home’ on 26th August includes a sketch of the uniform of a member of the Red Cross

Volunteer Association, formerly the Women’s Sick and Wounded Corps, some detachments of which

were encamped at Clifton Hampden


OUR BOYS AWAY

After the initial mobilisation and departure from Oxford the Territorials were taken to a camp at

Writtle in Essex for training and preparation for the front

The newspaper on 16th September included group photographs of officers and men of ‘H’ Company


OUR BOYS AWAY

On 14th October there are photographs of one a charabanc trip for Oxfordshire families to visit the

training camps

The charabanc set off from Carfax at 8 am and arrived at the camp at 1 pm, having broken down just

outside St Albans with engine trouble

It returned to Oxford at 11 pm


OUR BOYS AWAY

The same issue includes a double-page spread of photographs of ‘camp life with the 4th Battalion

OBLI’

The feature was reported in a light-hearted manner

A set of photos showing men eating, shaving and drilling, is labelled ‘Territorials “roughing it”’


BELGIAN REFUGEES

On September 23rd the newspaper featured a party of Belgian refugees on its front page

There were whole families but in some cases children had arrived without their parents

Most came from the Malines district and were Flemish-speaking and unable to speak English or

French

The newspaper included a full list of names

The party were staying at Ruskin College which had been made available to the Belgian Refugees’ Relief

Committee


BELGIAN REFUGEES

Support for Belgium – the critical and ostensible reason given for Britain entering the war – was a key

propaganda element

Several towns and cities had already held ‘Belgian Days’ when Oxford decided to hold its own on

Saturday 7th November

The event was organised by Mrs H Kingerlee and Mr Russell Brain (New College) and involved the making

and selling of rosettes and ‘favours’ by volunteers


RETURN OF THE WOUNDED

Reports of wounded and dead soldiers began on 23rd September

The 30th September issue contains a front-page photograph of a group of variety artistes at the New

Theatre who gave a performance to wounded soldiers at the 3rd Southern General Hospital


RETURN OF THE WOUNDED

A far more serious image appeared on the front page of the October 7th issue showing a serviceman wrapped in blankets being conveyed from an

ambulance to the hospital

He does however have a pipe in his mouth


OXFORDSHIRE HEROES

On September 30th the newspaper issued the following appeal:

‘Our readers will find on page 12 portraits of several Oxfordshire men who have been killed or wounded, or have otherwise played their part in the war. We

shall be glad to receive week by week from the friends of Oxfordshire men on active service portraits of those whose names appear in the

casualty lists, either Army or Navy, for reproduction in the “Oxford Journal Illustrated”’


OXFORDSHIRE HEROES

The two first portraits were of ordinary soldiers and sailors:

‘Frank Edward Turner, of St Ebbe’s, first-class stoker on board HMS Aboukir, who escaped uninjured when

that ship was torpedoed by a German submarine

Private John Garlick, of Sotwell, Wallingford, a Reservist in the 1st Royal Berks Regiment, who

rejoined the colours immediately after the outbreak of the war, and was killed in action at Mons’


Oxford Journal Illustrated and the outbreak of World War One

Presentation compiled from records held at Oxfordshire History Centre

For further information please contact Oxfordshire History Centre at:

St Luke’s ChurchTemple Road

CowleyOxford

OX4 2HTPhone: 01865 398200

E-mail: [email protected]

Oxford Journal Illustrated and the Outbreak of WWI

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