WKH Campbell Father Letter
6 Lower Fitzwilliam Street
Dublin
21st March 1919
Dear Sir,
I wrote you a letter yesterday saying my son, Colonel Keith G Campbell, D.S.O., R.G.A., had sent me, from Mesopotamia, your letter to him of the 9th November last re the record of service of my eldest son the late Major W.K.H. Campbell, Indian Army. I did not notice at the time your Regt. crest was at the head of your letter so only addressed it “Curragh”, and fear it may not reach you, so am writing again.
About a year and a half ago it came accidentally to my knowledge that there had been correspondence in the London papers regarding the representation of Huns on the teaching staff of Dulwich College and wrote to the Head Master (Mr. Smith) asking him if such were the case. He said that there were such masters still on the College staff and that he saw nothing wrong about it. I then wrote to the Editor of the Daily Mail and to Mr. Smith saying I absolutely declined to allow the names of my sons who had fallen in the war to be in any way connected with the College Records or War Memorial, as I considered that being so would be a dishonour to their memory. My letter was duly published and brought forth others in the same paper and privately to myself, supporting my view and telling me that others were following my example. Some couple of months ago I saw in the London Times that a meeting was to be held in London to discuss the question of a Dulwich College War Memorial, upon which I again wrote to Mr. Smith and repeated my determination not to dishonour my two sons’ memory by allowing their names to be associated in any way with the College. He acknowledged my letter and said it had been handed over to Mr. Doulton the Secretary of the War Memorial. I cannot of course speak for my two surviving sons but I believe they fully share my views on the subject. I have where possible expunged all references to Dulwich College from their records and am prepared if necessary to take legal steps to enforce my wishes as to the omission of all references to them in any College record or War Memorial. I honour their memory too greatly to do otherwise. I challenged publically any of the Governors of the College to come into the open and disavow sympathy with such action but without result. I was informed that many half, and greater, breed (more or less) Huns who lived round about Dulwich had had sons at the College and if this was so it probably accounts for the sympathy shown the Hun masters in question by the College Authorities.
Yours truly,
W.M. Campbell, Colonel
In pencil at the front of the letter Christison has simply written ‘Took no notice of this!’