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War
Memorials Elsewhere, - Abingdon School |
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The First World War Memorial for Abingdon School
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Photo © Abingdon School, Archivist Mrs Sarah Wearne (<sarah.wearne@abingdon.org.uk>)
Abingdon School is a British day and boarding independent school for boys situated on Park Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire next to Albert Park, and was previously known as Roysse's School.
The memorial commemorating past students who lost their lives in the First World War is a brass plaque in the School Chapel. The Abingdon School Archivist, Mrs Sarah Wearne (<sarah.wearne@abingdon.org.uk>), has kindly provided a photo of this memorial and has allowed its use on this website.
One Officer who served with the Yorkshire Regiment is commemorated on this memorial.
Captain Norman Percy Shepherd-Turneham. 6th Battalion
Yorkshire Regiment. Killed 28 September 1916
Commemorated on Pier and Face 3A and 3D, THIEPVAL MEMORIAL.
The following biographical information on Captain Shepherd-Turneham is given
on the Abingdon
School website, who have kindly allowed us to use it on the Yorkshire
Regiment Remembrance website.
Born 19 June 1878. Father EL Shepherd Esq, The Park, Abingdon.
Attended Abingdon School 1889 to 1894. Guys Hospital Dental School 1897 to
1901.
On leaving Roysse’s [Abingdon] School in 1894 – (his contemporaries
will remember him as Percy Shepherd) – he was articled to his cousin
Mr JH Badcock, MRCS, LRCP, Dentist, of 140 Harley Street W, and proceeded
to Guy’s Hospital where he qualified as a Dental Surgeon. He continued
in the profession until the autumn of 1914 when he volunteered for Army Service
and received his commission as Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion, Yorkshire
Regiment. He went with his Battalion to the Dardanelles in September 1915
and was there until the evacuation in which his battalion was one of the last
to leave. After spending some time in Mudros, his battalion went to Egypt
and from there direct to France. He was now a Captain commanding a Company.
On September 28th 1916, after successfully leading his company in an attack
on German trenches near Thiepval he was instantaneously killed by a high-explosive
shell while writing his report on the steps of a German dug-out. His CO wrote
of him: “He will be greatly missed by all the officers and men as he
was so popular with them. I shall very much feel his loss as he was one of
my most capable Company Commanders and a man I could always rely on, besides
personally being a great friend of mine.”
Percy Shepherd was a keen Association Football player. He played for the school
and afterwards in London for Guy’s Hospital, the United Hospitals and
the Crouch End Vampires. He was afterwards Captain of the Hastings Football
Club for some years.
Abingdon
School
Photo © Copyright Tom
Bastin and licensed for reuse under this Creative
Commons Licence.
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