A TRIBUTE TO DAVID HERBERT LLEWELLYN

Near the altar on the south wall of Holy Trinity church can be seen an elaborate black marble tablet designed by WT Hale of Baker Street, London and erected to the memory of David Herbert Llewellyn, who lost his life at the age of twenty-six years.

Mounted on the marble slab is a white Latin cross which has resting at its foot, a naval anchor and cable with cannon shots of varying sizes. Leaning against the side of the cross is a snake-entwined staff – the rod of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, physicians, healing and rejuvenation.

The beautiful stained-glass east window also forms part of a memorial to him and there is another tablet to his memory displayed in the Charing Cross Hospital Medical School.

Born in 1837, David was brought up as the third and youngest son of the Reverend David Llewellyn who served as perpetual curate at Holy Trinity church for twenty-nine years. He was educated from the age of ten years as a boarder at Marlborough School (now College), then newly established primarily to accommodate the sons of clergymen. His two brothers both studied at Oxford University, but David trained as a doctor, firstly for three years as an articled pupil to Dr Hassell in Richmond, London and subsequently two years of study and practice at Charing Cross Hospital. In August 1859 David was awarded his Licence of the Society of Apothecaries with silver medals in chemistry and surgery. 

The 1861 census shows him living in Harrow. Statistics for students leaving medical school were not encouraging – a small privileged percentage with capital and contacts set up leading practices or followed distinguished medical careers, while around half made an adequate living. The rest gave up or failed altogether.

Maybe this was the reason for David’s next move, although there was also talk of the shame of an illegitimate child. But whatever the reason, in August 1862 David sailed from Liverpool as Assistant Surgeon on the CSS Alabama, a fighting ship of the Navy of the Confederate States of America then waging war for independence against the Federal States.

Two years later, after a sensational career as an armed raider, the Alabama was caught off Cherbourg by the more efficiently equipped Federal vessel, the Kearsarge and on the morning of 19th June 1864 was sunk in a fight that lasted just over an hour.

When it was obvious that the Alabama was sinking, the pipe was given ‘all handssave yourselves.’ A gang of men helped David move the wounded up on deck and load them into the only two dinghies that had survived the engagement. When the boats were full, an uninjured sailed had tried to jump in but was held back by David who said: ‘See I want to save my life as much as you do, but letthe wounded crew be saved first.’ David was urged to go with the officers in the dinghy as he was entitled, but he replied ‘I will not peril the wounded men’ and the dinghy set off without him.

When David admitted he could not swim, crew members secured two wooden shell boxes, one under each arm to serve as improvised life preservers. He took to the water with this arrangement and appeared to be making good progress in the calm sea, but the boxes slipped their position and David drowned with a rescue boat within yards of him.

A memorial fund was set up with contributions from medical students, doctors and others sympathetic to the Confederate cause.

One hundred and forty-five years later, in June 2009, representatives of the Sons of Confederate Veterans from the United States arrived at Marlborough College to present a Medal of Honour awarded to the college’s former pupil, the late David Herbert Llewellyn.

The flags of America, the United Kingdom and the Confederate States were paraded into the Adderley Hall, each accompanied by the appropriate anthem. The master spoke words of welcome which were followed by a brief resume of the story of the Alabama. The audience was addressed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, splendidly dressed in an elaborate uniform, offering an invitation to the college to accept the medal he had unveiled.

The master formally accepted the medal which he undertook to hold in David’s honour and display securely to remind pupils of his bravery. The Last Post was sounded, followed by prayers, a short period of silence and then Reveille. The Honour Guard saluted the medal and marched out, the ceremony completed.

David Herbert Llewellyn

Memorial Plaque

Detail from a painting of the CSS Alabama