To Serve Them All My Days
Encyclopedia
To Serve Them All My Days is a novel by British
author R. F. Delderfield
.
First published in 1972, the book was adapted for television
in 1980. It was also adapted as a 5-part series of 45-minute plays for BBC Radio 4
, first broadcast in January 2006.
, who has risen from the ranks and been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
in World War I
. In 1918, after being injured and shell-shocked, he is employed to teach history at Bamfylde School, a fictional public school
in North Devon
, in the south-west of England. He swiftly earns the respect of many of his colleagues, with the notable exception of Carter, an ambitious science master and Commanding Officer of the school's Cadet Corps OTC
, whose military bearing compensates for the embarrassing fact that he was released from military service for medical reasons. Carter makes no secret of his outrage at the content of David's history lessons, which include recollections of life at the front - David has rejected wartime propaganda and grown to respect German soldiers - and honest analyses, verging on Socialism
, of the war's political background and potential consequences. Following the Armistice
, the two men disagree on whether or not the school should erect a war memorial; David loses the argument but wins the respect of Brigadier Cooper, one of the governor
s.
Under the tutelage of Headmaster Algy Herries, who views him as a possible successor, David discovers a vocation in teaching. He also forms a close friendship with the curmudgeonly English master, Ian Howarth, and with several students of unique personality and talents, including Chad Boyer, who will himself become a teacher at Bamfylde. He also acquires two nicknames, "P.J." and "Pow-Wow," the latter owing to his propensity for discussion and debate.
David meets a young nurse, Beth Marwood, and in 1919 they marry; shortly afterwards, they have twin daughters, Joan (named after Joan of Arc
, canonised in 1919) and Grace. Five years later (one year in the television adaptation), Beth and Joan are killed in a road accident. The surviving daughter, Grace, is badly injured and requires many months of rehabilitation before she can return home. (In the television adaptation, both children die: Andrew Davies
, who adapted the series, infamously claimed that the thought of Grace clumping her way through the rest of the series filled him with horror.) It takes encouragement from one of the schoolboys to persuade David to contemplate life without his wife, but he carries on for the sake of Grace. His feud with Carter increasingly revolves around the men's diametrically-opposed political beliefs and culminates in a violent confrontation, at which point Herries is forced to mediate an uneasy truce between them.
David remains concerned about life in Wales, particularly among the miners, and is politically affected by the General Strike
of 1926, which receives play in this and other Delderfield novels. By the mid 1920s, he has also returned to a scholarly writing project, an historical study called "The Royal Tigress", a biography of Margaret of Anjou
, which he had put to one side after Beth's death. Whilst researching the book in London, he once again meets Julia Darbyshire, a teacher who had worked briefly at Bamfylde, and strikes up a romance with her. She is now running a business for an American entrepreneur and is determined not to return to Bamfylde which she found suffocating.
By 1927, Bamfylde is looking for a replacement for the aging Herries, and the Board of Governors interviews Carter, David, and two external candidates, including a South African named Alcock, for the headmastership. Although David receives much support, the Governors decide to award the position to Alcock, recognising that if either of the internal candidates was elected, the other would feel forced to resign, and the school would lose a valuable teacher.
Alcock's authoritarian management of the school brings him into conflict with the staff, with some of the students, and eventually with David. During this period, Carter and David discover that they have a common adversary in Alcock and resolve their differences, which for a time distances David from Howarth. After a couple of terms under Alcock, Carter and a number of other masters resign. By this time, Alcock has become highly unpopular among the teaching staff and regards David as the ringleader of the opposition. In 1931, Alcock brings a formal complaint before the Board of Governors in order to seek David's dismissal. After hearing that the Board has backed David, though before this becomes common knowledge, Alcock dies of a heart attack while writing out his resignation. David is appointed as his successor.
David's relationship with Julia ends when she travels to the U.S. with her boss, whom she marries. However, David becomes romantically involved with Christine Forster, an aspiring Labour
politician and cousin of an ex-student. She is determined to build a political career but is unable to break into this male-dominated world and eventually accepts a travelling fellowship in Canada and Europe, much to David's disappointment, though her experiences in Germany give him a good sense of the rise of National Socialism, Anti-Semitism
, and the likelihood of coming war. When Christine returns to Britain in the mid 1930s, the couple marry. After a difficult period of adjusting to life at Bamfylde, Christine accepts a teaching position at the school and they have a son.
It also transpires that Julia Darbyshire had borne David a son soon after moving to America. The son becomes a pupil at Bamfylde, and David does not learn of his paternity until the end of the book, when Julia informs him of it in a letter, shortly before her death from breast cancer in the U.S.
As Headmaster, David moves the school forward. As the book ends, World War II
has begun, and he is facing the prospect of losing many of his former students in yet another war.
, which has a similar theme but is less pointedly politically and socially-oriented.
"Bamfylde," the public school in North Devon was influenced by West Buckland School
, the school that R.F Delderfield himself attended. He makes reference to the West Buckland houses of Bamfylde and Boyer, which housed, respectively, girls and boys.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author R. F. Delderfield
R. F. Delderfield
Ronald Frederick Delderfield was a popular English novelist and dramatist, many of whose works have been adapted for television and are still widely read.-Childhood in London and Surrey:...
.
First published in 1972, the book was adapted for television
To Serve Them All My Days (TV series)
To Serve Them All My Days is a British television adaptation of the 1972 novel by R. F. Delderfield. 13 episodes 50 minute in length were first shown by the BBC in 1980 and 1981....
in 1980. It was also adapted as a 5-part series of 45-minute plays for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, first broadcast in January 2006.
Plot summary
The protagonist is David Powlett-Jones, a coal miner's son from South WalesSouth Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, who has risen from the ranks and been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1918, after being injured and shell-shocked, he is employed to teach history at Bamfylde School, a fictional public school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
in North Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, in the south-west of England. He swiftly earns the respect of many of his colleagues, with the notable exception of Carter, an ambitious science master and Commanding Officer of the school's Cadet Corps OTC
OTC
OTC may refer to:* Oakwood Technology College* Owatonna Tool Company* Oklahoma Tax Commission* Odenton Town Center* Officer in Tactical Command* Officer Training Corps* Offshore Technology Conference* Ohio Turnpike Commission...
, whose military bearing compensates for the embarrassing fact that he was released from military service for medical reasons. Carter makes no secret of his outrage at the content of David's history lessons, which include recollections of life at the front - David has rejected wartime propaganda and grown to respect German soldiers - and honest analyses, verging on Socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, of the war's political background and potential consequences. Following the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
, the two men disagree on whether or not the school should erect a war memorial; David loses the argument but wins the respect of Brigadier Cooper, one of the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s.
Under the tutelage of Headmaster Algy Herries, who views him as a possible successor, David discovers a vocation in teaching. He also forms a close friendship with the curmudgeonly English master, Ian Howarth, and with several students of unique personality and talents, including Chad Boyer, who will himself become a teacher at Bamfylde. He also acquires two nicknames, "P.J." and "Pow-Wow," the latter owing to his propensity for discussion and debate.
David meets a young nurse, Beth Marwood, and in 1919 they marry; shortly afterwards, they have twin daughters, Joan (named after Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, canonised in 1919) and Grace. Five years later (one year in the television adaptation), Beth and Joan are killed in a road accident. The surviving daughter, Grace, is badly injured and requires many months of rehabilitation before she can return home. (In the television adaptation, both children die: Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (writer)
Andrew Wynford Davies is a British author and screenwriter. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2002.-Education and early career:...
, who adapted the series, infamously claimed that the thought of Grace clumping her way through the rest of the series filled him with horror.) It takes encouragement from one of the schoolboys to persuade David to contemplate life without his wife, but he carries on for the sake of Grace. His feud with Carter increasingly revolves around the men's diametrically-opposed political beliefs and culminates in a violent confrontation, at which point Herries is forced to mediate an uneasy truce between them.
David remains concerned about life in Wales, particularly among the miners, and is politically affected by the General Strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
of 1926, which receives play in this and other Delderfield novels. By the mid 1920s, he has also returned to a scholarly writing project, an historical study called "The Royal Tigress", a biography of Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
, which he had put to one side after Beth's death. Whilst researching the book in London, he once again meets Julia Darbyshire, a teacher who had worked briefly at Bamfylde, and strikes up a romance with her. She is now running a business for an American entrepreneur and is determined not to return to Bamfylde which she found suffocating.
By 1927, Bamfylde is looking for a replacement for the aging Herries, and the Board of Governors interviews Carter, David, and two external candidates, including a South African named Alcock, for the headmastership. Although David receives much support, the Governors decide to award the position to Alcock, recognising that if either of the internal candidates was elected, the other would feel forced to resign, and the school would lose a valuable teacher.
Alcock's authoritarian management of the school brings him into conflict with the staff, with some of the students, and eventually with David. During this period, Carter and David discover that they have a common adversary in Alcock and resolve their differences, which for a time distances David from Howarth. After a couple of terms under Alcock, Carter and a number of other masters resign. By this time, Alcock has become highly unpopular among the teaching staff and regards David as the ringleader of the opposition. In 1931, Alcock brings a formal complaint before the Board of Governors in order to seek David's dismissal. After hearing that the Board has backed David, though before this becomes common knowledge, Alcock dies of a heart attack while writing out his resignation. David is appointed as his successor.
David's relationship with Julia ends when she travels to the U.S. with her boss, whom she marries. However, David becomes romantically involved with Christine Forster, an aspiring Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and cousin of an ex-student. She is determined to build a political career but is unable to break into this male-dominated world and eventually accepts a travelling fellowship in Canada and Europe, much to David's disappointment, though her experiences in Germany give him a good sense of the rise of National Socialism, Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, and the likelihood of coming war. When Christine returns to Britain in the mid 1930s, the couple marry. After a difficult period of adjusting to life at Bamfylde, Christine accepts a teaching position at the school and they have a son.
It also transpires that Julia Darbyshire had borne David a son soon after moving to America. The son becomes a pupil at Bamfylde, and David does not learn of his paternity until the end of the book, when Julia informs him of it in a letter, shortly before her death from breast cancer in the U.S.
As Headmaster, David moves the school forward. As the book ends, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
has begun, and he is facing the prospect of losing many of his former students in yet another war.
Analysis
"To Serve Them All My Days" mirrors the history of Britain in the post-Great War era, casting David's experiences against the difficulties, contradictions, and social issues of the interwar years. David's life focuses on how Britain comes to terms with the turmoil of the Great War, the General Strike, socialism and the formation of the National Government in particular. Some commentators have remarked on the similarities between this book and the earlier Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a novel by James Hilton, published in the United States in June 1934 by Little, Brown and Company and in the United Kingdom in October of that same year by Hodder & Stoughton...
, which has a similar theme but is less pointedly politically and socially-oriented.
"Bamfylde," the public school in North Devon was influenced by West Buckland School
West Buckland School
West Buckland School is an English public school located on the outskirts of the village of West Buckland on the edge of Exmoor, 9 miles east of Barnstaple, Devon. It comprises a senior school , preparatory school and a nursery...
, the school that R.F Delderfield himself attended. He makes reference to the West Buckland houses of Bamfylde and Boyer, which housed, respectively, girls and boys.