Blunderbuss [4th No., August, 1917.]; Being the Book of the 5th Officer Cadet Battalion,

Cambridge, England: Trinity College, 1917. Presumed first printing thus. Wraps. 81, [1], xix pages. Frontis. Other Illustrations. Advertisements (some with color). Roll of Cadets. Printed at the University Press. Cover has some wear and soiling. Pencil erasure residue on first page. Montagu Butler was the son of a previous Headmaster of Harrow School. Educated at Harrow and Trinity College. He married his second wife in 1888, a very young Agnata Frances Ramsay who in 1887 attained the highest marks in the Classical Tripos at Cambridge. His son was the historian Sir James Butler. A talented and versatile Latinist, Butler achieved fame as one of the most adept British composers of Latin (and Greek) verse in the 19th and 20th centuries. Similarly to his father he served as headmaster of Harrow (1859 to 1885). He was then appointed Dean of Gloucester Cathedral in 1885 and was also Master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1886 to 1918, Vice Chancellor of the University, 1889–1890. He influenced many young people, including Stanley Baldwin (Prime Minister); Lord Davidson (Archbishop of Canterbury); Galsworthy of the Forsyte Saga; 10 bishops; 17 judges; 4 viceroys; 12 governors; 12 ambassadors; 33 privy councillors; and 64 generals. From 1803 to 1916, young military officers had been trained in conjunction with University education through the Officers Training Corps (OTC), forming the National Reserve of officers. However, due to the unforeseen number of casualties in the first two years of the War, conscription was introduced in 1916 and in the same year the Officer Cadet Battalions (OCBs) were formed. With training no longer conducted alongside University education, the OCBs produced 73,000 commissioned officers at locations around the country, including the 5th OCB, based at Trinity and St. John’s.

The OCBs cultivated an atmosphere of peacetime University life through sport, amateur drama productions and humorous magazines. The Blunderbuss, the magazine for the 5th Battalion, ran from July 1916 to October 1918, featuring articles, poems, sport results, photographs, artwork and topical humor for the officers in training.

Whilst humor provided a way of coping with the strain of preparing for war, sporting competitions within and between battalions fostered the camaraderie and fellowship that would become emblematic of the British army during the War. Understanding the importance of this bond and of instilling leadership, H. Montagu Butler, Master of Trinity, wrote of the 5th OCB:

“They will feel that they were wise in Training, not only man by man but together in close league, in the hope of being fitted to lead, to command, to influence, to inspire.”

As the War progressed, the tone of the magazine remained the same, but notes of solemnity did creep in along with the publication of lists of dead and wounded. However, the bonds of friendship and duty grew to characterize the British Army during the First World War, thanks in part to institutions such as the 5th OCB. Condition: Good.

Keywords: Montagu Butler, Officer Cadet, Trinity College, Cambridge University Musketry, British Army, Military Officer, Charles Chasse, Dunstall, Bealing, Cricket, Survival, Casualties, Rifle Fire, Western Front

[Book #72469]

Price: $100.00