Dr Ylva Berglund Prytz
Oxford University IT Services
On the inside of his scrapbook, Norman Sutton writes: “Pleasant Reminiscences of College and Varsity Days 1913-1914, 1919-1920”.
One page in the album has “The Isis” written across at the top and pasted on the page are a set of charts of the Eights (lists of the boats that took part in the annual intercollegiate rowing regatta).
There are three charts for the summer races, one for each of Sutton’s undergraduate years: 1914, 1919, 1920.
The dates offer an indication of something that was typical for the time.
Like many other young men and women, Norman Sutton left Oxford to serve in the First World War.
He was fortunate to survive and returned to complete his studies.
We can get glimpses of his Oxford days through his scrapbook and guess what life was like in Oxford at the time, both before and after the war.
What we cannot see here, however, is what life was like in Oxford while he was away.
What happened here during the war?
Charles Patrick Flanagan (1895-1925) served in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).
In 1917 he was based at Oxford for a while, billeted at Wycliffe Hall in Banbury Road.
Whether he was part of the group of RFC trainees who allegedly built a practice aeroplane in the dining hall is not known, nor do we know what his role was, or for how long he was here.
Through the letter he writes to his sister Agnes in Ireland on November 8, 1917, we get a small glimpse of life in Oxford for one of its temporary residents.
He mentions visiting several whist drives – a traditional English card game tournament – without having much luck, which may have contributed to his somewhat cool attitudes to the city.
He wrote: “I have heard indirectly that I may be leaving Oxford, and going to a new school (probably at Bristol) within the next four or five weeks.
“But I do not know anything definite yet.
“I hope it is correct as I have been in Oxford just long enough to be tired of it.”
Oxford at War is a project set up to fill in the gaps left by resources like Norman Sutton’s album and Charles Flanagan’s letter and make it easier to find out about Oxford during the First World War.
The project collects and makes available information and material that relate to Oxford, the city, the University, and the people, during the conflict.
It uses a model developed in previous projects where anyone who has stories, pictures, letters, or other material is invited to share it through a dedicated platform.
The Oxford at War platform allows users to type in or upload text, add digital pictures, audio and video, or simply link to material they already have online.
Material can then be explored by anyone who visits the site oxfordatwar.uk The project also runs and takes part in events and activities to collect and disseminate information about Oxford during the war, such as the Remembering the Great War collection and digitisation event at the Museum of History of Science in September and the Wikipedia World War I edit-a-thon earlier this month.
The project is part of the university’s First World War Centenary commemorations and activities, supported by the Van Houten Bequest.
More information about related resources and activities can be found through the University WW1 Centenary page ox.ac.uk/world-war-1
If you have something to share but are unsure how to add it to the Oxford at War platform, need help with creating digital copies of your material, want to know about future events and activities or want more information about any aspect of the project or the platform, please contact the Oxford at War team at ww1collections@it.ox.ac.uk
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