 In the inter @-@ war years ( 1918 – 39 ) Jesus was seen by some as a small college and something of a backwater ; it attracted relatively few pupils from the public schools traditionally seen as the most prestigious . The college did , however , attract many academically able entrants from the grammar schools ( particularly those in northern England and Scotland ) . Among these grammar @-@ school boys was Harold Wilson , who would later become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . During the Second World War , many of the fellows served in the armed forces or carried out war work in Oxford . The college remained full of students , though , as it provided lodgings for students from other colleges whose buildings had been requisitioned , and also housed officers on military courses . 
