World War 1 (1914-18)

World War I ended in 1918 and left 10 million dead in the fields of Western Europe. When one considers the very few players who are honored to play for their country and the numbers of losses shown below, one can only imagine the number of players lost to rugby clubs around the world by the conflict.

Internationals killed in world war I:

 

Scotland	30
England	27
France	23
New Zealand	12
Wales	11
Australia	9
Ireland	9
Wales	3
South Africa	4
Germany	Not available

Poster below: London : Publicity Department, Central London Recruiting Depot, [1915]
"This is not the time to play games" (Lord Roberts).
Rugby union footballers are doing their duty. Over 90% have enlisted. British athletes! Will you follow this glorious example? / printed by Johnson, Riddle & Co., Ltd., London, S.E.
"Every player who represented England in Rugby international matches last year has joined the colours." - extract from The Times, November 30, 1914.

Extracts from Daily Telegraph Article : Talking Rugby: Timely tribute paid to rugby's fallen heroes By Brendan Gallagher (additional text subsequently added):

Australia: Blair Swannell. Twice a British Lions tourist (1899 & 1904) and capped in all four Tests in 1904, this rugged Northampton forward emigrated to Australia immediately after that tour and was capped by his new country within 12 months on a tour to New Zealand in 1905. He died leading a ferocious charge by Australian forces at Gallipoli in August 1915, he was shot whilst kneeling showing others how to aim better. He was awarded the military cross. It has been estimated that 5,000 Australian rugby players ultimately went on active war service between 1914 and 1918. This figure represents about 98 per cent of the playing numbers in the game, outside of the schools, in 1914. Many of these players never returned to Australia.

Scotland: Dr David Bedell-Sivright. Enjoyed the reputation of being the roughest, toughest forward of his day and the arch exponent of the skill of dribbling. Played for Scotland 22 times during 1900 to 1908. Led the 1904 Lions, worked in Australia for a year as a stock rearer before returning to Edinburgh to complete his medical studies. Contracted Septicaemia and Like Swannell, died at Gallipoli, he was buried at sea.

South Africa: Jan (Jackie) Willen Hunter Morkel. One of the famous rugby-playing family from Somerset West in Cape Town - 21 brothers and assorted cousins were playing first-class rugby in South Africa before World War One, including eight who were or subsequently became Springboks. Sir Abe Bailey had undertaken to sponsor a family tour of Britain in 1914 when war broke out. Died of dysentery fighting for the Mounted commandos in German East Africa.

France: Marcel Burgun. An extrovert fly-half who played against England in 1914, during the last international before hostilities began. Joined the French Air Corps to avenge his brother's death on the western front and was shot down and killed in 1916.

RFU Commemorative Plaque - Twickenham England

Other examples of fallen rugby players:

• JHD 'Bungy' Watson, England three-quarter capped 3 times in 1914 , drowned in action when HMS Hawke was torpedoed by a German submarine (15/10/1914).
• Ronald Poulton Palmer, three-quarter capped 17 times. On his last appearance in 1914 he ran in four trys from centre - a record at that time. Soon afterwards he was across the channel to join the war where he died a year later on 5th May 1915, killed by a sniper bullet in a trench in Ploeg Steert Wood, Belgium. He was just 25.
• CM Pritchard, Newport forward, capped 14 times for Wales, killed on a trench raid in 1916.Edgar Mobbs, DSO, English three quarter, refused a commission at start of the war and then raised his own company of 250 sportsmen for the Northamptonshire regiment, rising to command his battalion with rank of Lt. Col. fell in action at Zillebeke (29/7/1917).
• Dave Gallaher, Irish-born captain and wing forward (the'rover') of the formidable 1905 All Blacks, killed in action in France (4/10/1917).

After the war Olympiad VII was awarded to Belgium. It was a tribute to their heroic resistance and suffering under four years of occupation after the German invasion.

A total of 29 countries, one more than participated in the war, sent a record 2,607 athletes to Antwerp in 1920. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria were excluded from the Games. In 1921 a tablet in memory of the many fallen rugby players lost during the first world war unveiled by H.M. the King, 12th February.

The act of remembrance can take many forms and there is no finer than the Mobbs memorial match held at Northampton each year. Every year since 1921 the Barbarians have played an East Midlands XV at Franklin gardens, the home of the Northampton Saints. The game is held to remember Edgar Mobbs a former Northampton and England player.

Edgar first played for Northampton in 1905 and retired there in 1913 after playing 234 games, scoring 179 tries (545 points).

• He twice scored 6 tries in a match.
• He also won 7 caps for England during that period.
• The last game against France he was made captain, the first Northampton player to be England captain.

He was considered too old to be an officer at 32 so he formed his own battalion called "The sportsman's battalion". He was said to kick a rugby ball ahead when the men had to cover ground quickly whilst in attack. He was killed attacking a machine gun post in 1917.

World War 2 (1939-45)

Internationals killed in action in WW2

Germany	16
Scotland	15
England	14
Australia	10
France	8
Ireland	7
Wales	3
New Zealand	2
South Africa	0

Extracts from Daily Telegraph Article : Talking Rugby: Timely tribute paid to rugby's fallen heroes By Brendan Gallagher:

Examples:

Wales: John R Evans. A former Newport captain and lock who won his only cap - playing at hooker - against England in 1934, when he also captained the side. Was killed in action in North Africa on March 8, 1943, when serving with the Parachute Regiment's third battalion.

Ireland: Robert Alexander. Played for Ireland 11 times. Played for the Barbarians 1935/6. Outstanding member of Ireland's pack who toured with the 1938 Lions in South Africa. An Ireland cricketer to boot, his last game for Ireland was in 1942 when he captained Ireland in a friendly against the British Army, it was to be his last game. Alexander was killed during the Allied landings on Sicily serving for the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, he had risen to the rank of captain.

New Zealand: Donald Cobden. A dashing wing, Cobden represented New Zealand after just seven first-class games. Played for 25 minutes in his solitary Test, against the Springboks in 1937, before being forced off through injury. He joined the RAF as a fighter pilot for 76 squadron and was shot down on Aug 11, 1940, during the Battle of Britain. His body was washed up at Ostend and buried by the Germans in a communal war grave.

England: Vice Admiral Norman Atherton Wodehouse. In 1913 England achieved a grand slam under the captaincy or Norman Wodehouse. Norman won 14 caps for England between 1910 and 1913 and was captain 6 times. Norman served in WWI on board the battleship HMS at the battle of Jutland and survived the war until some of his team mates. In 1941 he was commanding a convoy to South Africa when they were attacked by German U-boats, he ordered the convoy to scatter and his ship was never seen again.

RFU Commemorative Plaque - Twickenham England