Notes

These notes seek to explain some of the arcane regfulations,customs and practices of Oxford University

Apart from the three buttons bel;ow this can accommodate any odd notes we wish to include.

Oxford University Officers Training Corps (OTC)

The OTCs (Officers Training Corps) consisted of the Senior Divisions Universities) and the Junior Divisions (Public Schools and Inns of Court). In 1914 there were 23 contingents in the Senior Division and 166 in the Junior. Between August 1914 and March 1915 20,577 commissions were granted to former members of the OTCs. In January 1915 it was decided that NCOs and suitable men who were recommended by their COs would be given a short, four-week-long officers training course in such units as the Artists Rifles (the 1/28th Bn of the London Regt), the HAC, the Inns of Court OTC, and Senior Contingents of the OTC (such as the OUOTC). If the candidates were considered suitable, they were commissioned and sent to Young Officer Coys, which were attached to the Reserve Bdes, for further training while waiting to be posted to their units. The Royal Military Colleges at Sandhurst and Woolwich continued to train candidates for Regular commissions with shortened courses that lasted four and sixmonths: these were later extended to eight months and a year.

OT 4/2 is a bound book in the Oxford University Archives and a Record of Officers from 1909 to 1926. Although it is paginated and indexed, it contains only a small number of records, only three of which relate to Magdalen kias: Rodolph Algernon Perssé (14), John Leslie Johnston (34) and Alwyne Chadwick Hobson (36).

The Registers of Undergraduate Examinations in the OUA (UR 2/1/+ volume number) start comprehensively in 1891. They are organised according to the year of matriculation, then alphabetically, and each candidate has a page.

Before World War One, the Oxford Examination system was extremely complex and in need of modernization or at least stream-lining. But to put matters simply, it consisted of three parts: (I) Responsions, (II) the First Public Examination and (III) the Second Public Examination

(I) Responsions, popularly known as “Smalls” and “Little Go”, were a kind of university-wide entrance examination that was taken either before or soon after matriculation and whose purpose was to check the quality of the candidates being admitted across a diversity of colleges. Exemptions were granted to candidates who possessed an Oxford & Cambridge Certificate or one of a wide range of recognised School Leaving Certificates; Rhodes Scholars were normally also exempt.

During the pre-1914 years, candidates usually took two papers and answered simple questions – Responsio (Latin) = a reply or an answer – on two “stated subjects”: Greek and Latin Language and Mathematics (Arithmetic and Elements of either Geometry or Algebra). Some candidates opted to take one of a range of “additional subjects” in order to gain exemption from the FPE paper in Greek and Latin Litertature. The examination was abolished in 1960.

(II) For the First Public Examination (FPE), every candidate took a paper on Holy Scripture, normally in the Trinity Term of their first year, in which they were questioned on one of the synoptic Gospels, St John’s Gospel, and either The Acts of the Apostles, or part of the Old Testament.

Pass Degree Candidates normally took four other papers: (1) Greek and Latin Literature, (2) Either Logic or the Elements of Geometry and Algebra, (3) Latin Prose Composition, (4) Translation from Greek and Latin authors not offered under (1).

Honours Degree Candidates normally took five other papers: (1) Latin and Greek Literature (especially poets and orators), (2) Translation from Latin and Greek authors not offered under (1), (3) Latin Prose Composition, (4) Latin verse and Greek verse and prose composition, (5) one of four special papers.

Honours Degree Candidates in Mathematics normally took two papers: (1) Pure Mathematics, (2) Elements of Mechanics.

Some academically aspirational candidates took a Subject Prelim instead of FPE, especially those reading for a degree in Natural Science [NS] or Jurisprudence.

(III) After passing FPE, Pass Degree Candidates normally selected three subjects from the List of Pass Groups (see below), spread across three terms, and took these for the Second Public Examination (SPE). But sometimes, it was enough for a candidate to take 2 Pass Groups after passing FPE in order to obtain an unclassified Pass Degree.

The Pass Groups were:

A (Classics): A1 (Greek and/or Latin Literature/Philosophy), A2 (Greek and Roman History), A3 (Classical Sanskrit), A4 (Persian Language), A5 (Arabic Language), A6 (Classical Chinese), A7 (Pali Language).

B (History): B1 (English History), B2 (French Language), B3 (Elements of Political Economy), B4 (Law), B5 (German Language and Literature); B6 (English Literature).

C (Elements of NS): C1 (The Elements of Algebra and Geometric Trigonometry), C2 (The Elements of Mechanics), C3 (The Elements of Physics), C4 (The Elements of Chemistry), C5 (The Elements of Zoology and Botany), C6 (The Elements of Rural Economy).

D (Elements of Religious Knowledge in Greek and Hebrew).

E (Military Science): E1 (The Elements of Military History and Strategy), E2 (Tactics, Map Reading and Field Sketching, Field Engineering).

It normally took three years to get a BA (Pass Degree), but as will become clear from the biographies below, Pass Degree candidates who had a special reason for spending more time at Oxford – usually high profile sport – could get leave to do so.

After passing FPE, candidates who had originally been admitted to read for an Honours Degree could lower their sights and read for a Pass Degree. There are many instances of candidates doing this during the period 1911-14 since this allowed them to reduce their time at Oxford and joined the Army more quickly.

But before this began to become more commonplace, Honours Degree Candidates normally followed up FPE by taking Prelims or Moderations, both of which counted as part of the SPE. They then spent six terms reading for a classified Honours Degree, and this normally took a total of four years. There were, in 1912, nine Honours Schools: (1) Literae Humaniores (i.e. Classics), (2) Mathematics, (3) Natural Sciences, (4) Jurisprudence (i.e. Law), (5) Modern History, (6) Theology, (7) Oriental Studies, (8) English Language and Literature, (9) Modern Languages.

First and Seconds were awarded for the first time in Michaelmas Term 1807. Then, from Hilary Term 1809, a third group of candidates was placed “below the line” under the Seconds. This status was changed to a Third in Hilary Term 1825 and the first Fourths appeared in Hilary Term 1831.

Henley Races in Order of Prestige

  • The Grand Challenge Cup: Established in 1839, 8-oar, for all comers. The premier event that is open to the world.
  • The Ladies Challenge Plate: Established in 1845, Henley’s second most prestigeous 8-oar event. After 1856 it was open only to crews from Oxford, Cambridge, Eton and Westminster; after 1985 it was open to any student crew.
  • The Stewards’ Challenge Cup: Established in 1841 for coxed IVs. In 1873 it was changed to an award for coxless IVs, and, like the Grand Challenge Cup, it was open to all comers.
  • The Visitors’ Challenge Cup: Established in 1847. After 1874 it was open to coxless IVs but restricted to student crews.
  • The Wyfold Challenge Cup: Established in 1847. In 1855 it was redesignated as a new race for coxed IVs. From 1857 it was open to any amateur crew except those previously entered for the Stewards’ Cup. From 1874 it was open to coxless IVs from any single university, college or club crew in order to prevent a crew from entering for the Stewards’ Cup as well.

Rowing Casualties

Two of Magdalen’s VIIIs each lost 5 of the crew of 9 men:

(1) The crew that went Head of the River and won the Grand Challenge Cup in 1906 lost: Gatehouse (211), Johnston (34), Kirby (110), Southwell (90) and Stanhope (91).

(2) The 1907 Head VIII, which lost the Headship, lost: Kirby, D. Mackinnon (136), Somers-Smith (70), Southwell and Stanhope.

so seven men.

Three of Magdalen’s coxless IVs each lost 3 men:

(1) The 1905 OUBC IV lost: Gatehouse, Kirby and Southwell.

(2) The 1907 Stewards’ Cup IV lost: Kirby, Southwell and Stanhope.

(3) The 1907 OUBC IV lost: Kirby, Southwell and Somers-Smith.

(4) The 1908 OUBC IV lost: Kirby, Southwell and Somers-Smith.