"...and always this cloud..."

For many who had served, the end of the war in November 1918 was not the end of their suffering. They lived on in pain - both physical and mental - as if in some sort of cloud. A significant number did not outlive the war by long.

Under the terms of the Commonwealth Graves Commission charter, those who died of their wounds – or as a consequence of illness or accident on active service – up to the date of 31 August 1921 were eligible to be commemorated. Nine Old Dragons died from what were accepted as war-related causes after 11 November 1918: three of influenza, two of tuberculosis, two from accidents and one of a heart attack.

Amongst the last of those who fought in the First World War to be honoured with a Commonwealth War Grave is Charles Pittar, who died on August 28th 1921.

He lies buried only 2 miles away from his old school, the Oxford Preparatory School (now the Dragon School) in the Wolvercote Cemetery.

Still at school when war broke out, Charles did not go to the Western Front until January 1917, but between then and the end of the war he experienced the effects of both shell-shock and gassing. A gifted academic and athlete, he did not return home the same man.

After demobilisation, Charles came back to Oxford to study at Queen’s College for the Indian Civil Service exams. During this period he worked part-time at his old school, teaching classics to the top form.

On the morning of August 28th 1921 he was discovered by his parents dead in his room, having taken his own life:

The inquest, held the following day, revealed (in a note to his parents) something of his state of mind:

Charles Pittar was the 87th and last Old Dragon to be counted a casualty of this war.

This and other stories to be found in 'The Skipper's War' by Desmond Devitt (with foreword by Rory Stewart). Click on the link below for further details: