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List of international rugby union players killed in World War I

(Redirected from List of international rugby union players killed in action during the First World War)

This is a list of international rugby union players who died serving in armed forces during the First World War. Most of these came from the British Commonwealth, but a number of French international rugby players were also killed. A number of major teams, whose nations were belligerents in World War I such as Japan, Canada, Italy, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa had not made their international debuts at this point in time,[1] and the United States team had only been in existence for around two years prior to the war.Also, none of the Central Powers had true national rugby squads at this point although there had been rugby clubs in Germany since the late 19th century,[2] and the German Rugby Federation is the oldest national rugby union in continental Europe.[3] However, Germany did put forward a team for rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics (although not the 1908 tournament, which involved only two sides) – Olympic rugby was not seen as particularly prestigious – and it is not known if any of that team were war casualties.

Dave Gallaher (New Zealand), considered one of the greatest players of rugby at the turn of the 20th century
The Auld Alliance Trophy is contested annually by Scotland and France, and commemorates the Scottish and French rugby internationals who died in the First World War.
Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux where lies William Tasker and 770 other Australian fallen

The war took an extremely heavy toll upon rugby at all levels, and this list includes some major figures, such as Dave Gallaher, who led a major All Blacks tour to the British Isles in 1905;[4] David Bedell-Sivright, who is sometimes considered one of the greatest Scottish players of all time;[5] and Ronnie Poulton-Palmer who is similarly honoured by the English;[6] and the Frenchman Jean Bouin, better known as a middle distance runner at the 1908 Olympics as well as the 1912 Games.

The first rugby international to die in World War I was France and Stade Toulousain scrum-half Alfred Mayssonnié on 6 September 1914.

List by country

Australia

Blair Swannell (on right) in Egypt, 1915
Edward Larkin, killed in Gallipoli

Although many rugby players were killed during the war, a large number were also injured or crippled, leading to their departure from the game. For example, the Australia and British Isles player Tom Richards had his back and shoulders damaged by a bomb blast and suffered respiratory problems the rest of his life, from gas attacks he had experienced on the Western Front, leading to his death from TB in 1935.[7]

England

The Memorial Stadium in Bristol shown here during an association football game. It is named in honour of those rugby players who died in World War I

One of the most poignant stories is of Ronnie Poulton-Palmer, who had played against the South African tourists of 1912–13 only a few years before:

"Those who watched [Ronnie Poulton] play were certain that he was the greatest three-quarter ever to play the game and they held to that opinion all their lives..."
"Poulton later inherited a fortune on condition that he changed his name to Poulton-Palmer; sadly he did not live to enjoy it, being killed by a sniper's bullet in the Great War. His last words before he died were: 'I shall never play at Twickenham again.'"[6]

England had over twenty six players killed in the conflict. This was the second highest number of casualties, after Scotland. However, many of the Scotland players were "Anglos", i.e. based, born or playing in the England's domestic leagues for teams such as London Scottish FC or universities, so their loss affected English rugby too.

Henry Brougham is sometimes listed,[8] because he died of war wounds. However, since he died in 1923, after the war had ended, he is also often omitted.

France

France is different from all the other nations mentioned on this list for two reasons – firstly, it was not part of the British Commonwealth nor English speaking, and secondly, unlike the other nations, it actually had a military front in its border territory.

Maurice Boyau particularly distinguished himself as a balloon buster and military flying ace, with 35 victories under his belt.[12][better source needed] He spent much of his flying career with Escadrille 77, known as "Les Sportifs" for the great number of athletes in its ranks.[13] He had been captain of the French team before the war.

Stade Bordelais of Bordeaux was badly affected, losing players such as Boyau and Giacardy.

German Empire

The German team at the 1900 Olympic Games

A German team competed at the 1900 Olympic tournament, represented by players from the SC 1880 Frankfurt club. It is not known if any of those 15 players died in the First World War.

British Isles

1910 British Isles team in South Africa, including Eric Milroy, Noel Humphreys and Phil Waller

British Isles team

Pre-World War I, it was not uncommon for members of the British Isles team (later known as the British and Irish Lions) to be uncapped for their nation of origin. This never happens now.

Most British Isles players had been capped for their country, and can be found listed more fully under their respective countries. Capped players include the following.

Olympians

At least one competitor for the Great Britain Olympic team which competed at rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics, and gained silver died –

Scotland and Ireland did not put teams up for either the 1900 or 1908 Olympic rugby events, and most of the players were from England, and in particular Cornwall.

Ireland

Ireland, unlike Great Britain and much of the British Empire did not have conscription during the war, although there was a disastrous attempt in 1918 to impose it. See also Ireland and World War I.

PortraitPlayerPlaying yearsCapsDate of death (Age)Place of deathMilitary serviceRef(s)
Jasper Brett191414 February 1917 (21)Dalkey, IrelandServed as second lieutenant in the 7th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers at the Battle of Gallipoli and the Somme. Suffered from shell shock and committed suicide.[15][16]
Robert Burgess191219 December 1915 (25)Armentières, FranceBurgess was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps and served with the Royal Engineers. He was killed when he was hit by a shell while cycling down the rue de Dunkerque in Armentières.[17]
Ernest Deane MC1909125 September 1915 (28)Loos-en-Gohelle, FranceAfter graduating from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Deane joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1911, and was stationed in India. In WWI he served as medical officer in the Leicestershire Regiment on the Western Front. Having already been awarded the Military Cross for bravery, at the Battle of Loos, Deane went to rescue men who had been caught up in German barbed wire, and was killed instantly by a shot to the head.[18][19][20]
William Victor Edwards1904129 December 1917 (30)near Deir Ibzi, PalestineFought with Royal Irish Fusiliers at Ginchy. Transferred to Royal Dublin Fusiliers and served in Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Third Battle of Gaza, Battle of Jerusalem. Died near Deir Ibzi. Reburied at Jerusalem British war cemetery in 1918.[21][22]
Basil Maclear1905–19071124 May 1915 (34)Western Front (WWI)Captain with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers; killed during the Second Battle of Ypres[23]
Vincent McNamara1914329 November 1915 (24)Suvla Bay, GallipoliMcNamara served in the Royal Engineers, and died from gas in the trenches in Suvla Bay, Gallipoli.[24][25]
Robertson Smyth1903–19043+35 April 1916 (36)LondonSmyth joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1904, and served in India until the outbreak of WWI. He served on the Western Front until he was invalided through exposure to gas, and died a few months later.[26]
Albert Stewart DSO1913–1424 October 1917 (28)near Ypres, BelgiumMember of the Royal Irish Rifles, then transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. Fought in the Battle of the Somme. Died at the Battle of Broodseinde (part of Third Ypres).[27]
Alfred Squire Taylor1910–12431 July 1917 (29)near Ypres, BelgiumServed in Royal Army Medical Corps; died at Third Battle of Ypres.

New Zealand

Thirteen former New Zealand representatives – known as All Blacks – lost their lives in the First World War,[28] with three (possibly four) of them dying in the Battle of Messines.[29]

Scotland

David Bedell-Sivright

According to Allan Massie, "Scotland had suffered more severely than any of the Home Countries from the slaughter of the war. Thirty capped players were lost (twenty six English internationalists were killed)."[30]

While some of these players were clearly retired, others such as Frederick Harding Turner, James Huggan and John George Will had played in the last match before the war, the Calcutta Cup match in March, 1914, and so had their playing careers prematurely ended. Walter Sutherland was also considered one of Hawick RFC's greatest players, and was still remembered fondly as "Wattie Suddie" in Bill McLaren's playing days.[31] Few surviving Scots were capped before and after the war – Charlie Usher, Jock Wemyss and Alex Angus are some of the exceptions. Charlie Usher spent much of the war in a POW camp.

South Africa

Adam Burdett was part of the 1906-7 tour to the British Isles. This was the inaugural South Africa tour and is recognised as the event that coined the word "Springboks" as a nickname for the South Africa team. Poignantly, in the two games he played on that tour in November 1906, he shared the field with David Bedell-Sivright of Scotland, and Basil Maclear of Ireland, who were also casualties of that war. Likewise, Toby Moll would probably have rubbed shoulders with Eric Milroy, Noel Humphreys or Phil Waller in the 1910 British Isles tour of South Africa.

PortraitPlayerPlaying yearsCapsDate of death (Age)Place of deathMilitary serviceRef(s)
Adam Burdett190624 November 1918 (36)Roberts Heights, Pretoria, Transvaal ProvinceBurdett served as captain, South African Army Service Corps.[33]
Sep Ledger1912–1913413 April 1917 (26)Arras, FranceLedger served as Sergeant, South African Infantry, and was killed in action.[34]
Toby Moll1910114 July 1916 (26)Bazentin le PetitMoll served first in the South West Africa Campaign, then joined the Leicestershire Regiment in England. Soon after taking Bazentin le Petit in the Battle of Bazentin Ridge, he was hit by shrapnel and died the following day.[35][36][37]
Jacky Morkel1912–1913515 May 1916 (25)German East AfricaMorkel served as a scout with the 1st South African Mounted Brigade in German East Africa. When the rainy season set in, Morkel's unit was cut off and the health of the troops severely deteriorated. Morkel contracted dysentery and died.[38][39]
Tommy Thompson1912320 June 1916 (29)Kangata, German East AfricaThompson served first in the South West Africa Campaign, and then in German East Africa with the 5th Regiment of the South African Infantry. His unit was sent in pursuit of German forces in Kangata, near Pongwe. During the firefight that ensued, Thompson took a bullet through the neck and was killed.[40][41][39]

Wales

Amongst the fatalities was Richard Garnons Williams, who had played in the very first Wales international rugby union match in 1881. At 59 years of age, he was the eldest of the 13 Wales international players to be killed during the war.[42]

Charles Taylor was the first Welsh fatality, and was a noted athlete, especially good at the pole vault.[43]

Fred Perrett is often left out of lists of the Welsh international war dead due to his supposed defection to the professional game.[43]

PortraitPlayerPlaying yearsCapsDate of death (Age)Place of deathMilitary serviceRef(s)
Billy Geen1912–1913331 July 1915 (24)Hooge, Flanders, BelgiumGeen joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps at the start of WWI. His unit was involved in the failed defence of Hooge against German forces, equipped with flamethrowers. He was killed in action leading his men in hand-to-hand fighting.[44]
Bryn Lewis1912–191322 April 1917 (26)Ypres, Belgium
Fred Perrett1912–191351 December 1918 (27)Boulogne, France
Lou Phillips1900–1901414 March 1916 (38)Cambrin, FrancePhillips served with the Royal Fusiliers on the Western Front, and while out on a wiring party, he was shot through the chest and killed.[45]
Charlie Pritchard14 August 1916 (34)
Charles Taylor24 January 1915 (51)
Dick Thomas7 July 1916 (35)
Horace Thomas3 September 1916 (26)
Phil Waller14 December 1917 (28)
David Watts14 July 1916 (30)
Dai Westacott27 August 1917 (35)
Johnny Williams1906–191117+212 July 1916 (34)Mametz, Somme, FranceServing with the Welsh Regiment, Williams was leading an attack on German positions in Mametz Wood, when he was wounded. He died a few days later.[46]
Richard Garnons Williams1881128 September 1915 (59)Loos-en-Gohelle, FranceGarnons Williams was commissioned into the British Army in 1876, and by 1906 had retired. At the start of WWI, he joined the Royal Fusiliers and was leading the 12th Battalion Royal Fusiliers at the Battle of Loos when he was shot and killed.[47][48][49][50]

United States

The captain of the All America side that faced New Zealand in California died in the war.[51]

Deaths after the war

  • Reginald Lloyd (Wales, 4 matches 1913–14) died in Bradford on 20 February 1919 three weeks after his discharge from the Army Service Corps. He already had a cough which developed into influenza and death was from pneumonia and cardiac arrest. The doctor who attended him wrote 'my opinion is that this condition was undoubtedly brought about by his service in the army.' He taught at Bradford Grammar School from January 1912, had played for Oxford University, Pontypool and London Welsh, and he had been selected to represent Yorkshire against New Zealand on 8 March 1919.

Sometimes included are two deaths from war wounds after the war, although both are past the Commonwealth War Graves Commission limit of 31 Aug 1921 (when an order in council declared the war over) to be considered a war death:

See also

References

Bibliography

Online resources

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