A play about a bitter feud at Balliol in the early 1900s, postponed because of the pandemic, is to be performed at the Greenwich Theatre in London on 7–31 October 2021.
Into Battle by Hugh Salmon tells the poignant story of a student feud which reflected the political and social divisions that were tearing Britain apart in the years leading up to the First World War.
On one side were war poets the Hon. Julian Grenfell (Balliol 1906) and Patrick Shaw Stewart (1907), and Julian’s brother the Hon. Billy Grenfell (1909), all brilliant, privileged Etonians whom Evelyn Waugh later described as ‘arrogant, rowdy, and exclusive’. On the other were the socially conscious and home-educated Keith Rae (1907), who established the Balliol Boys’ Club to help impoverished boys from the underprivileged areas of Oxford, and his friend the rugby international Ronald Poulton-Palmer (1908). Caught between the two sides was Balliol’s Chaplain and Junior Dean, the Revd Neville Talbot (Fellow 1909–1920).
Billy Grenfell and Keith Rae fought alongside each other in the same regiment in the First World War. They resolved their feud before they were killed in the same action on the same day in 1915. The other three Balliol students also gave their lives.
Into Battle brings this true story, its issues and its characters to life. Based on research that included time in the Balliol Archives, the script was checked for basic historical accuracy by Emeritus Fellow and former Archivist John Jones (although of course there is some licence for dramatic purposes).
The Balliol Boys’ Club was consolidated in 1921 as a memorial to Keith Rae and continued until the 1970s; the endowment survives today as the Keith Rae Trust, which supports youth clubs and similar organisations, and has two Balliol Fellows among its trustees.
Balliol members are invited to see Into Battle on Sunday 10 October: the matinée or evening performances have been designated for the Oxford alumni community. Anyone unable to attend that day will of course be able to buy tickets for other dates. Tickets for all dates may be booked here. Into Battle is also to be one of the Royal British Legion’s centenary events, with a special ‘Performance of Remembrance’ (matinée and evening) on Saturday 9 October.
Below, left to right: Julian Grenfell, Patrick Shaw Stewart, Billy Grenfell, Neville Talbot, Keith Rae, Ronald Poulton-Palmer (photos: Balliol Archives)
