All but two of the deaths of former BSA students during the First World War were on the western front. Following the death of Guy Dickins on the Somme a letter ('Waste of Material') was sent to The Times (July 26, 1916) noting the deaths of three Oxford Fellows.
All three lives were lost leading infantry attacks in France. They would be less grudged if it was absolutely necessary to use the best brains of the country for this purpose: but is it really impossible to find no more suitable military work for them to do?The fact that so many former students of the BSA were used in military intelligence (e.g. Harry Pirie-Gordon) perhaps indicates that such expertise was recongised.