Skipper’s War
Dragon School during the First World War
Desmond Devitt
ISBN: 978 1 78551 303 9
Size: 240 x 160
Binding: Hardback
Pages: 304
In association with: Dragon School, Oxford
Date published: May, 2021
Date published: January, 2022
UK £25 /US $35
Highlights
Skipper’s War – Dragon School, Oxford & the Great War: Online Talk and Live Q&A presented by Desmond Devitt – https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/skipperswar/
Description
Charles ‘Skipper’ Lynam, the celebrated preparatory school headmaster at the Dragon School, Oxford, during the First World War, inspired a generation of his pupils as they found themselves caught up in the conflict. This book tells the story of the school’s wartime years and the various fronts on which its boys were involved. It traces the roots of a school founded by Oxford dons for their children, its idiosyncratic ways and the extraordinary relationship Skipper Lynam forged with his boys, some of whom (in former pupil John Betjeman’s words) ‘lost their lives for King and Country and the Dragon School’.
Author information
Desmond Devitt retired from the Dragon School in 2015, having spent nearly 40 years at the School. His roles there included over 20 years as Head of the History Department and Housemaster. A fascination with the School’s history led him to explore its untapped archive and bring its unique and evocative material to life. Desmond is the author of several newspaper and magazine articles, as well as the successful blog, www.skipperswar.com.
Rory Stewart (Dragon, 1981–1986) is a writer, traveller, documentary maker and politician.
