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The Campbell College War Record 1939-1945

Prologue  -  Address  -  Roll of Honour  -  Roll of Service
List of Honours and Awards  -  Story of Campbell College 1939-1946

also Campbell College Register 1894 - 1954

STREET DIRECTORIES TRANSCRIBED
1805 - 1806 - 1807 - 1808 - 1819 - 1843 - 1852 - 1861 - 1868 - 1877 - 1880 - 1890 - 1894
1901 - 1907 - 1908 - 1909 - 1910 - 1912 - 1918 - 1924 - 1932 - 1939 - 1943 - 1951 - 1960
1913 Tel. directory    1824 Pigots (Belfast)  &  (Bangor)   1894 Waterford Directory
1898 Newry Directory      Bangor Spectator Directory 1970

The 1939-45 War Memorial

Prologue

The Headmaster's Report on Speech Day, 1939, concluded with these words:
"Tomorrow 48 of the boys here present will have spent their last day at school; full of the hopes and ambitions of youth, they are going out into this very troubled world. That they will prove themselves worthy of the school, I am confident.

The Address given at the Memorial Service at Campbell College on Sunday, 10th November, 1946

     We are met here to-day to pay tribute to the memory of those former members of the school whose names have been recited as we stood - those who went and did not return.  It is seemly that this service of remembrance should be held in this place, for here in this hall was centred their life at Campbell, here each day, morning and evening, they met for prayers, here they sat with you on festal days, on Speech Days, at concerts, at plays.  Here in these buildings they lived and learnt and grew to manhood.  Here and in the beautiful grounds in which these buildings stand, they walked and talked, worked and played, made friends and learnt, largely unconsciously, the happiness that comes from working with others and for others.
     Here, too, in the years between the wars, on each returning Armistice Day, they stood, in silence, as we have done to-day, and in remembrance of the service unto death of another generation, and dedicated their own lives, as we shall shortly do, to the glory of God and the service of their fellow men.  Four of those, whom we now remember, in their day, in the name of the school, laid their wreath on the War Memorial.  Twice in the lives of the older among us we have seen the spirit of service of a generation tested to the full.  Twice we have seen the Sons of Campbell, when the test came, answer the call.
     It was my privilege to receive during the war years many letters, strange minglings of grave and gay, from old boys on service.  Last week I re-read some of these, and I recalled how often, when I received them, the thoughts that they expressed made me very proud of them, and at the same time very humble to feel that they, in the pride and strength of youth, could write so simply as they did of the part they were playing in the fight for freedom, and so fondly of the school which had nurtured them.  Nameless they must be, but I think that the few short extracts from some of these letters which I am going to read represent the feelings which, expressed or unexpressed, were very common to them all.
                        "We had a rotten time for the last ten days.  When we were going back, I often used to think of what we so often heard at Campbell, that an officer's first duty was to look after his men, and that kept me from thinking too much about my own troubles."
                 And this -
                       "I am in hospital now, and though I hate the actual fighting, I want to get back as soon as I can.  The chaps are grand and I don't want them to think that I have let them down."
                 And this one, written by one Campbellian about a school friend serving with the same battalion -
                       "He knew he was going to be killed quite definitely.  He had already written letters to the Padre and myself to be opened on his death, and they showed that he was quite prepared for it.  I could not have made a more fortunate choice in a friend."
                 And this from a letter whose writer had already answered the call before it reached me -
                       "You know how much Campbell did for me.  Should I have the misfortune to be one of the many unfortunate ones, I can at least be a credit to a very fine school."
                 And this in quite a different vein, but would you wish it otherwise? -
                       "This must be the last week of the summer term.  Sunday evening's good-bye service in hall, the concert, speech day with the prefects telling their story, and the band in all its glory at the garden party and the fragments for the whole school in the dining hall afterwards.  Here we are sweltering in the heat, but I can see it all just as if I was still at school."
     Grave and gay - with sunshine in their hearts and laughter in their eyes - so we shall always think of them.
     Rank and decorations have no place in the roll which has been called to-day.  Not for these are they honoured, but because they have enriched by the gift of their lives the ideas of Duty and Courage which we believe are the foundations, in peace as in war, of all that is best in our race and in this School - and have joined that cloud of witnesses with which we are encompassed about for our example and encouragement.
     In the 1944 edition of "Poetry of To-Day" appeared the lines with which this tale is closed.  Written by a still young Campbellian, himself on active service, they seem a fitting end to our tribute here to-day -

"We knew them as our comrades.  We shall raise heads that are proud with sorrow when men tell
Of brave young souls that stood and fought and fell, and left to us their heritage of days.
We shall remember, on the paths we blaze, the land, the hopes they loved and guarded well,
We shall be still, touched deeply by the spell, of gratitude they leave with us always.
The future is not ours to take or squander; these comrades of our boyhood, it is theirs.
Where Freedom lives, where Poverty is slain, There shall their spirit dwell, their footsteps wander
Over the hills; and in our thoroughfares, their selfless accents shall be heard again."
NE OBLIVISCARIS

The Roll of Honour

These men were among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of man by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom.

Roll of Service

Foreword
All Old Campbellians known to have served, or their next-of-kin, whose addresses could be ascertained, were given an opportunity of checking the details of their service.  954 letters were sent out and 869 replies were received.  The record closes on 31st December, 1945.  Changes in the details of service after this date have not been included.  The ranks given are the highest attained at any time prior to this.  The Roll of Service is arranged in five columns.  The first gives the School register number; the second, the name; the third, Service or Corps; the fourth, rank; and the fifth, details of deaths on service, and honours and awards.  The abbreviations used for Service or Corps are given below.  In the case of the Army, the abbreviations for Corps are those used in the official Army List, and are arranged in Regimental order as given in the List.

The inclusion of W.A.A.F. is worthy of note, as Miss M. A. Montgomery, who served in it, was a pupil at the School at Portrush, and is the only lady whose name is officially entered in the School Register.

Ranks have in nearly all cases been given in full, the exceptions being self explanatory.

The abbreviations for decorations are:

A decoration symbol enclosed in brackets means that the award was made before the 1939-1945 war.
A number in brackets after the word "Despatches" indicates the number of mentions when this is more than one.

The Roll of Service was compiled during the course of the war by Mr. C. R. Beaven and Colonel W. D. Gibbon.  The editing and preparation for the press was done by Major C. A. Bowen and Mr. I. Felix-Jones.  The story of the College at Portrush and the history of the buildings when in military occupation was written by Colonel Gibbon, Mr. R. Groves, and Mr. I. Felix-Jones.  Information on the occupation was kindly supplied by the A.D.M.S. North Ireland District, the A.O.C. Northern Ireland and Mrs. M. W. Chambers.  The arduous task of looking up addresses was largely performed by Mr. E. J. Garrett, and a great deal of help in typing and checking was given by Mrs. J. B. Cloke, Miss M. Long and Mr. K. Malinovsky.

Summary

The Roll of Service contains the names of 1,025 Old Campbellians, of whom 102 gave their lives.  128 received Military, and 14 Civil, British Honours and Awards;  12 received Foreign Honours and Awards.  118 were mentioned in Despatches.

The numbers in the various services are :-
Royal Navy (including Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and Dominion Navies)   145
Royal Marines   9  -  Army (including Dominion and Colonial Forces)   625  -  Royal Air Force (including Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and Dominion Air Forces)   225  -  Merchant Navy   15   United States Army   6
Honours and Awards :-  Military
Companions of the Order of the Bath   2
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire   7
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order   12
Bar to the Distinguished Service Order   1
Officers of the Order of the British Empire   20
Members of the Order of the British Empire   18
Distinguished Service Cross   6
Military Cross   22
Bar to the Military Cross   1
Distinguished Flying Cross   18
Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross   3
Two bars to the Distinguished Flying Cross   1
Air Force Cross   4
Distinguished Flying Medal   1
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration   3
Territorial Decoration   3
Efficiency Decoration   2
Air Efficiency Award   2
Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal   1
Mentioned in Despatches   118

Civil
Knights Bachelor   2
Companions of the Order of the Star of India   2
Companions of the Order of St. Michael and St. George   1
Officers of the Order of the British Empire   5
Members of the Order of the British Empire   4

Foreign Decorations
Order of Leopold II, Belgium   1
Croix de Guerre, Belgium   2
Croix de Guerre, France   1
Royal Order of the Phoenix, Greece   1
King Haakon Medal, Norway   1
Gold Cross of Merit, Poland   1
Legion of Merit, United States   1
Air Medal, United States   2
Distinguished Flying Cross, United States   1
Purple Heart, United States   1

Roll of Service