Family :

Education & Career :

Educated St Albans School, Bury St Edmunds.

Corpus Christi Oxon- 2 Classics Moderations 1893; 2 Literae Humaniores 1895; BA 1895. Secretary, Church Society 1893, President 1893, 1895.

Wells Theology College 1895; Deacon 1896, Priest 1897, Oxford; Curate of Abingdon 1896-1898, of St Cuthbert’s, Tsolo, South Africa, 1898-1902; Principal, St Bede’s Theology College, Umtata 1902-1905; Chaplain to Bishop of St John, Kaffarina, 1902-1905; Priest Vicar of St John’s Pro-Cathedral, Umtata 1903-1905; Superior, East Pondoland, Missioner, Holy Cross Mission 1911-.

Robert Furley Callaway came up to Corpus in October, 1891, from St Alban’s School, as a Commoner. He was somewhat younger and less developed in character than his contemporaries, but his personal charm secured him many friends. Though neither, in the strict sense of the words, a scholar nor an athlete, he was a hard worker, and took creditable classes both in Honour Mods and Lit Hum, and secured a seat in the College Torpid. He took his full share in the social life of the College, and it was largely due to his initiative that the Church Society was started. His period at Oxford was marked by a strong development of character. He had always plenty of moral courage, and his friendships and studies served only to deepen his faith and confirm his determination to spend his life in the service of others.
On leaving Oxford he studied at Wells, and went thence to the St Cuthbert’s Mission in Kaffraria to which he was ordained. After some years he married and took a parish, but missionary work once more claimed him, and he took charge of the Holy Cross Mission in Pondoland East. In 1914 his health broke down, and he was sent home, arriving in England just as war was declared. It was characteristic of him that failing to obtain a chaplaincy at once he enlisted in the R.A.M.C. and went to Aldershot. There he was soon discovered and appointed Chaplain to one of the large Hospitals there, and later to the Cavalry Brigade. He could not rest, however, till he got to the front, and he served at Ypres with the 2nd Cavalry Division. It was no real surprise to those who knew him that he then decided that he must serve his country in a militant capacity, though he was well-nigh 43 years of age. He knew that the men to whom he was devoted were going through hell (there is no other word for it) and he felt that he must share it to the full with them. He obtained a commission in the Staffordshires, and after a short training at home went to the front as a 2nd Lieut. He was killed in a most gallant attempt to bring in a wounded man under a murderous fire from machine guns, an attempt which practically meant certain death.
His C.O. wrote of him, “I can’t tell you how much I shall miss him and what a loss he is to the battalion. He had such high ideals and was the bravest of the brave. Our only consolation is that his influence and memory will remain with us for good, but I, personally, and the whole battalion who knew him had the greatest affection and admiration for him.”
“The whole motive of his life,” one of his best friends writes of him, “was love and sacrifice, and his death seems to be just the perfecting of his life.”
First affection, then respect, then admiration, was what those who knew him felt for him. In the example of his life and death he is one of the children of whom the wisdom of Corpus is for ever justified.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

He was killed in action during the Battle of the Somme on the 13th September 1916 aged 44 and is buried in Guillemont Road Cemetery, Guillemont, France, Special Memorial 1 John Cotterill 2Lt Robert Furley CALLOWAY (spelt CALLAWAY in Regtl records) 2nd Bn KIA 13/9/16 Rev Royal Army Chaplains Department: 2nd Lieut. 3rd Battalion The Sherwood Foresters, 21.9.1915: Joined 2nd Battalion 14.4.1916 at Beau Maris Camp Calais: Killed in Action 13.9.1916 at Arrowhead Copse, Guillemont, British War Medal, Victory Medal.: information Battalion War Diary and Officers Died in Great War: Buried Guillemont Road Cemetery, (Special memorial 1.)Guillemont, Somme, France. On 13 Sept 1916 the 2nd Foresters (71 Bde, 6 Div) attacked from the area of the crossroads just E of Guillemont, NE towards the Quadrilateral. This was one of the series of attacks that comprised the Battle of the Somme. The 2nd Foresters (or as they still called themselves ?The 95th?) moved towards their jumping off positions in preparation for Zero Hr, which was set for 0600 hrs. However they came under fire before they reached the position and a very confused fight ensued throughout the day. The attack was resumed on 15 September with the support of three tanks (the first day on which they had been used) but two of them broke down before the attack and the third was disabled by enemy fire. The attack, which had gained about 800 yds, had cost the 2nd Foresters 17 Offrs and 421 ORs from a trench strength of 681 all ranks. 5 of the 17 Offr casualties were KIA and one of these was CALLAWAY. He was a most unusual infantry 2Lt being a married, 44 year old missionary priest from Africa.

Masonic :

Past District Grand Chaplain (S.Africa E.D)

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley