Universities at War

Oliver was born in Sunderland in 1885 to Edmund, a Ship Plater, and Isabella Tunnell. He had seven younger brothers. While at Armstrong College training to be a teacher (1905 - 1907) he studied English, Latin, Greek and French. He joined Dover County School in May 1913 as History Master. He was reportedly popular by reason of his ability as a teacher, his firmness as a disciplinarian, his keenness as a sportsman and his great kindness of heart, as shown by his interest in all that concerned his boys.

He married Sarah Brown in 1914 and they had a son together.

Oliver enlisted in May 1916 and initially served in the Royal East Kent Regiment. He then applied for a transfer to the Machine Gun Corps, which was accepted in May 1916, when he became Private 58782. He served with them in France from 1917 - 1918. Oliver was killed on the 24th October 1918 aged 33. He was killed by machine-gun fire at Le Quesnoy, France, while leading his men during the British advance. This was during the Battle of Selle phase of the final advance in Picardy, which lasted from 17th to the 25th October 1918. On 26th June 1918, he was made a Second Lieutenant in the Northumberland Fusiliers, 12th/13th Battalion and served in France with them during 1918.