Public Schools Company, Royal Welsh Fusiliers - which battalion?

[Charles Fair]

I was browsing through the online archives of Manchester Grammar School http://www.worldwar1schoolarchives.org/manchester-grammar-school/ and came across this obituary in the December 1916 edition, p. 267.

Quote

Second Lieutenant E. F. Shanks was killed in action on October 21st, 1916. He came to School in September, 1907, and left in July, 1913, when he entered an Engineering Works. While at School he never enjoyed robust health, but played a good deal of cricket, both on the School ground and at home, at Marple. He was a promising cricketer, and a good sportsman. He was a spirited schoolboy, but his relations with the Masters were always straightforward, and all those who taught him look back upon the experience with pleasure. He was popular, too, among his comrades. Soon after War broke out he joined a Public School Company in a battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, from which he obtained a commission in the Connaught Rangers. His work as an Officer developed all his best qualities, and he won the respect both of fellow-officers and of his men. He died a very gallant death

 

I have not heard of this before, and can't pin it to a battalion of the RWF based on searching here, the LLT etc. Has anyone else come across this?

Charles

[clive_hughes]

In September 1914 there was a move to establish a Welsh Universities Battalion, which was to include men with higher and secondary education.  This attracted insufficient candidates to stand on its own, and so by the end of October it was amalgamated with the 13th (1st North Wales) (Pals) Battalion RWF.   The combined battalion being over-strength, during November it then helped to form the 16th Bn. RWF.  

 

Early in 1915 both the 13th and 16th RWF apparently formed "OTC" companies as nurseries for potential officers, given their quantity of Other Ranks with a higher quality of education.  In January 1916 the Reserve 21st and 22nd RWF at Kinmel Camp, Abergele, also formed platoons of potential officer candidates.  They may perhaps have subsequently been incorporated into the OCTU battalions at that place. 

 

I haven't come across any other UPS elements within the RWF, so my guess would be 13th and just possibly 16th RWF.   If he has a surviving Officer File at the NA, it should detail his Other Rank service, but not all these have survived.

 

Clive

Edited 3 January , 2020 by clive_hughes

[Charles Fair]

Thank you Clive, that's very helpful, 

He would appear to be this man https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/812165/shanks,-edward-ferrier/ and his file WO 339/43851: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1097743

 

[Charles Fair]

I found another one in this company, p.77 of the May 1917 edition:

Quote

Sec.-Lieut. David Elland Langton, West Yorkshire Regiment, has died of wounds. He joined the P..S. Company of the Welsh Fusiliers, but was afterwards gazetted to the West Yorkshires, and volunteered for the machine-gun corps. He had been eight months at the front.

A further tribute to Langton is on p. 111 of the June 1917 edition

Quote

Second-Lieutenant D. E. Langton's death was reported in our last number. His Captain writes :—" He was leading his section into battle with the greatest gallantry when he received his fatal wound. His loss is deplored by the officers and men of his company, and he will ever live in our memory as a skilful leader, who always turned a smiling face to hard and adverse fortune. Cheerful, hardworking, and energetic, he was beloved by all who knew him."

 

Edited 3 January , 2020 by Charles Fair

[clive_hughes]

Here's a copy of the original Welsh University Battalion recruiting leaflet

[Charles Fair]

Thank you Clive