Patrick Shaw-Stewart
Patrick Houston Shaw-Stewart | |
---|---|
Born | near First World War | 17 August 1888
Patrick Houston Shaw-Stewart (17 August 1888 – 30 December 1917) was a British scholar and poet of the Edwardian era who died on active service as a battalion commander in the
Life
Patrick Shaw-Stewart was born in Aber Artro Hall, near Llanbedr in Merionethshire, Wales. He was the son of Major-General John Heron Maxwell Shaw-Stewart (1831–1908), a military engineer, and Mary Catherine Bedingfeld Shaw-Stewart. While Patrick was still young his parents' marriage broke down and he was largely raised by a nanny, who he habitually referred to as "dear". His appearance was quite striking with a shock of bright ginger hair, pale white freckled skin, and a lengthy nose.
His career was one of great academic brilliance, matched by a steely determination to succeed. He came first in the Eton scholarship in 1901, a year after his friend,
At this time he became devoted to
Shaw-Stewart served in the
"The brilliant and beguiling youth who had never failed in anything, for whom all life's prizes seemed to wait his taking, had little wish to outlive his friends. He now used all his charm and influence in high places to get into the firing line."[1]
While he was at Imbros he seemed to enjoy speaking ancient Greek to the inhabitants of the island; in one of his letters he wrote: "here I am, living in a Greek village and talking the language of Demosthenes to the inhabitants (who are really quite clever at taking my meaning)."[2]
Shaw-Stewart was involved in the Gallipoli campaign which was his first experience of real combat. His letters home to friends and relations showed an increasing sense of frustration and disillusionment with the war. After the Allied withdrawal from the Dardanelles, he was posted to Salonika in a liaison role with the French.
In 1916 the Cross of Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour was conferred upon him "in recognition of valuable services rendered"[3] and, later the same year, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.[4]
During 1917 Shaw-Stewart increasingly felt that he was doing very little of any use in Salonika, and was missing the comradeship of his friends in the Royal Naval Division. After having several requests to be moved to France turned down, he effectively absconded while on leave in England, and rejoined his old battalion in France. Promoted to lieutenant commander and in temporary command of the Hood Battalion, he was killed in France on 30 December 1917 while making his way up a sunken road just behind the fire trenches. Stewart was struck in the mouth by a shell fragment and died almost immediately.[5] He is buried at Metz-en-Couture in the British extension to the communal cemetery.[6]
Work
His fame today stems from one of his poems, "Achilles in the Trench", one of the best-known of the
Legacy
The first biography of Shaw-Stewart, by Ronald Knox, was published in 1920.[8] Elizabeth Vandiver's Stand in the Trench, Achilles includes a detailed discussion of Shaw-Stewart.[9] A new biography by Miles Jebb was published in May 2010.[10][11]
A memorial to him was erected at Balliol College, Oxford, on the west wall of the Chapel passage.[12] He is also named on the war memorial in the antechapel at All Souls College, Oxford[13] and on the Knockbain parish war memorial in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scotland.[14]
See also
References
- ISBN 0-304-31475-7.
- ^ Stand in the Trench, Achilles: Classical Receptions in British Poetry of the Great War, p. 37, at Google Books
- ^ "No. 29506". The London Gazette. 14 March 1916. p. 2782.
- ^ "No. 29854". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 December 1916. p. 12039.
- ^ The Children of the Souls, A Tragedy of the First World War, Jeanne MacKenzie, pub. Chatto & Windus 1986.
- ^ "Casualty Details: Shaw-Stewart, Patrick Houston". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- ISBN 0873524993.
- ^ Ronald Knox. Patrick Shaw-Stewart. London: William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.
- ISBN 978-0-19-954274-1.
- ISBN 978-1-904349-77-8.
- ^ Philip Ziegler. "A review of Jebb's biography". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 14 November 2011.
- ^ John Jones (1999). "Memorial inscriptions". Balliol College Archives & Manuscripts. Balliol College, Oxford. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ "Shaw-stewart, P H".
- ^ "Munlochy". Ross & Cromarty war memorials. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
Further reading
- Charlotte Higgins, "'Achilles in the Trenches': The Iliad and the Poetry of WW1", The Guardian, Monday, 1 March 2010.
- ISBN 0-304-31475-7.
- Jebb, Miles (2010). Patrick Shaw Stewart: An Edwardian Meteor. The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1904349778.
External links
- Biography from Balliol College, Oxford
- Text of "Achilles in the Trench"
- Patrick Shaw-Stewart
- Works by Patrick Shaw-Stewart at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)