In the First World War, over a thousand former pupils of Fettes College in Edinburgh served in the armed forces; a quarter lost their lives. This was not surprising. Since it opened in 1870, Fettes had loyally served the British Empire, sending out soldiers, administrators, missionaries, teachers, and traders. They wrote back to their old housemasters, telling stories of adventure which were printed in the school magazine. The pupils eagerly debated the military issues of the nineteenth century, and in 1908 gained a cadet corps in which they could be trained for war. Brought up to value...