The University of Oxford is calling on council bosses to allow the addition of five soldiers on a war memorial – even though they fought against Britain during the First World War.
Queen’s College has put in a bid to planning officials to add ‘members of the college community’ to the 121 names already on the memorial, located in High Street, Oxford.
Critics however say the move – which would allow the inclusion of three German soldiers – amounts to ‘wokery’.
Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and unveiled in October 1920, the memorial pays tribute to those who fought for the Allied forces, but a new application submitted to Oxford City Council has requested that ‘all’ connected to the college should now be remembered, ‘irrespective of nationality.’
The names set to be added include German-born Carl Heinrich Hertz, who was born in Hamburg and Gustav Adolf Jacobi, originally from Weimar.
Erich Joachim Peucer, who was born in Colmar, then a part of the German Empire and who died in Italy in 1917, is also listed within the additional names.
The other two are Hungarian Paul Nicholas Esterházy, who matriculated in 1901 and died in 1915 in Poland, and Emile Jacot who was wounded in battle, but died of his injuries in 1928.
Featuring two long stone tablets, each with a bronze wreath, the memorial carries the inscription: ‘So they gave their bodies to the Commonwealth and received each for his own memory’, and ‘Praise that will never die.’
The planning application stated: ‘The First World War memorial outside the library omits those who did not serve on the British side.
‘This was usual at the time the memorial was erected (1921): no colleges, when they first put up their memorials, commemorated those who died fighting against the Allies, whether as a deliberate decision or because it did not occur to them.
‘In summary, we feel that these proposals are an appropriate and unobtrusive response to the architectural context and are justified by the need to remember all members of the college community who died in the First World War, irrespective of nationality.’
But Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, said the memorial should only serve as a tribute to those who fought for Britain and the Allied forces.
He told The Telegraph: ‘War memorials in the UK should be to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend the Allied nations.
‘Where will this wokery end?’
Of the 14,561 members of Oxford University that enlisted, around 20 per cent had died by the end of the First World War.
Among the alumni who perished were renowned military commander Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig and composer George Butterworth.
Oxford City Council is expected to announce its decision over the next few weeks.
MailOnline has contacted Oxford University for comment.
