Patrick Shaw-Stewart
Encyclopedia
Patrick Houston Shaw-Stewart (17 August 1888 – 30 December 1917) was a brilliant Eton College
and Oxford
scholar of the Edwardian era who died on active service as a battalion commander in the Royal Naval Division during the First World War.
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, Ronald Knox
, had come first in the same examination. He won the Newcastle scholarship at Eton in 1905. At Oxford, he won the Craven, the Ireland, and the Hertford Scholarships in Classics as well as taking a double first in Classical Moderations in 1908 and Greats in 1910. Elected to a fellowship of All Souls, he instead committed his career to Barings Bank
, where he was appointed one of the youngest managing director in the bank's history, in 1913. At this time he became devoted to Lady Diana Manners and became a leading member of her "corrupt coterie," known simply as the Coterie
. When war was declared in 1914, he joined the Royal Navy
and, serving with Rupert Brooke
, played a prominent role in the famed young poet's funeral in Greece. Promoted to lieutenant commander and in temporary command of the Hood Battalion, he was killed on 30 December 1917. He is buried at Metz-en-Couture
in the British extension to the communal cemetery.
His fame today stems from one of his poems, Achilles in the Trench, one of the best-known of the war poems of the First World War. It was written while Shaw-Stewart waited to be sent to fight at Gallipoli
. He was on leave on the island of Imbros
, overlooking Hisarlik
(the site of the ancient city of Troy), and in the poem, Shaw-Stewart makes numerous references to the Iliad
, questioning, "Was it so hard, Achilles
/ So very hard to die?" In the final stanza he evokes the image of flame-capped Achilles screaming from the Achaean ramparts after the death of Patroclus
, and requests that Achilles likewise shout for him during the battle.
The first biography of Shaw-Stewart, by Ronald Knox, was published in 1920. Elizabeth Vandiver's Stand in the Trench, Achilles includes a detailed discussion of Shaw-Stewart. A new biography by Miles Jebb was published in May 2010.
A memorial to him was erected at Balliol College, Oxford, on the west wall of the Chapel passage.
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
scholar of the Edwardian era who died on active service as a battalion commander in the Royal Naval Division during the First World War.
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, Ronald Knox
Ronald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox was an English priest, theologian and writer.-Life:Ronald Knox was born in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England into an Anglican family and was educated at Eton College, where he took the first scholarship in 1900 and Balliol College, Oxford, where again...
, had come first in the same examination. He won the Newcastle scholarship at Eton in 1905. At Oxford, he won the Craven, the Ireland, and the Hertford Scholarships in Classics as well as taking a double first in Classical Moderations in 1908 and Greats in 1910. Elected to a fellowship of All Souls, he instead committed his career to Barings Bank
Barings Bank
Barings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million due to speculative investing, primarily in futures contracts, at the bank's Singapore office.-History:-1762–1890:Barings Bank was founded in 1762 as the...
, where he was appointed one of the youngest managing director in the bank's history, in 1913. At this time he became devoted to Lady Diana Manners and became a leading member of her "corrupt coterie," known simply as the Coterie
The Coterie
The Coterie was a fashionable and famous set of English aristocrats and intellectuals of the 1910s, widely quoted and profiled in magazines and newspapers of the period. It adopted the hostile description as a "corrupt coterie"....
. When war was declared in 1914, he joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and, serving with Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
, played a prominent role in the famed young poet's funeral in Greece. Promoted to lieutenant commander and in temporary command of the Hood Battalion, he was killed on 30 December 1917. He is buried at Metz-en-Couture
Metz-en-Couture
Metz-en-Couture is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Metz-en-Couture is situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D7 and the D17 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
in the British extension to the communal cemetery.
His fame today stems from one of his poems, Achilles in the Trench, one of the best-known of the war poems of the First World War. It was written while Shaw-Stewart waited to be sent to fight at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
. He was on leave on the island of Imbros
Imbros
Imbros or Imroz, officially referred to as Gökçeada since July 29, 1970 , is an island in the Aegean Sea and the largest island of Turkey, part of Çanakkale Province. It is located at the entrance of Saros Bay and is also the westernmost point of Turkey...
, overlooking Hisarlik
Hisarlik
Hisarlik , often spelled Hissarlik, is the modern name for the site of ancient Troy, also known as Ilion, and is located in what is now Turkey...
(the site of the ancient city of Troy), and in the poem, Shaw-Stewart makes numerous references to the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
, questioning, "Was it so hard, Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
/ So very hard to die?" In the final stanza he evokes the image of flame-capped Achilles screaming from the Achaean ramparts after the death of Patroclus
Patroclus
In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos , was the son of Menoetius, grandson of Actor, King of Opus, and was Achilles' beloved comrade and brother-in-arms....
, and requests that Achilles likewise shout for him during the battle.
The first biography of Shaw-Stewart, by Ronald Knox, was published in 1920. Elizabeth Vandiver's Stand in the Trench, Achilles includes a detailed discussion of Shaw-Stewart. A new biography by Miles Jebb was published in May 2010.
A memorial to him was erected at Balliol College, Oxford, on the west wall of the Chapel passage.