Rugby’s War DeadOn Saturday 21 March 1914, the Scottish and Englishrugby teams faced one another in Edinburgh. Englandwon the closely fought match 16 –15, but just a fewmonths later the First World War had engulfed Europe– a conflict that both captains, a number of forwardsand the majority of the backs who competed in thisparticular match would not return from.

Rugby players from all over the world gave upeverything as they redirected their sporting qualities –passion, dedication, camaraderie – to the war effort.An enormous number died during the two world wars– from within the eight major rugby nations alone, 185“capped” international players lost their lives.

It was not only international players from the rugbysuperpowers who lost their lives. Germany had a verystrong side between the two world wars – beatingFrance on numerous occasions and regularly defeatingother continental sides. But the Second World Warwas to devastate the squad – 16 international playerswere killed.

Players from many of the minor rugby nations alsojoined up, while countless others at club level rushedto enlist but were never to return. Far too many diedto be listed here but we can look at some of theirrepresentative stories. These men, who came from allthe major rugby nations of the time, fought on theland, sea and in the air. Their tragic deaths are typicalof so many, their graves and memorials looked after bythe Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and wewill always wonder what they and their comradeswould have gone on to achieve had they survived thewar.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

AustraliaMajor Blair Inskip SwannellThere are times when the game of rugby throws upwhat can only be described as extraordinarycharacters. Blair Swannell definitely qualifies in thiscategory.

Considered to be a tough and courageous forwardwith outspoken opinions, he played hard on the fieldand gave just as much enthusiasm to the celebrationsafter a game.

Blair had a reputation for pushing the boundaries ofacceptable play and for dubious personal hygiene,always turning up for training sessions in a filthy, oncewhite, jersey with badges and dates of all the countrieshe had represented on it. His prized possession was analso once white pair of football breeches, which herefused to wash, and which he wore in every match.

Originally a player with England’s Northampton Saints,Blair had played in two British Lions tours to Australiain 1899 and 1904, after which he settled in Sydneywhere he became a coach and referee. It was duringthis phase that he won his only cap for Australia, on atour to New Zealand in 1905. At the outbreak ofWorld War One, Blair enlisted with the AustralianInfantry. He was commissioned as an officer andposted to Egypt.

In April 1915 the Allied commanders sought analternative method of securing victory after thestalemate of the Western Front. They launched theGallipoli campaign in an attempt to force Turkey out ofthe war, secure supply routes to Russia and openanother front against Germany and Austria.

British, French, Indian and Australian and New ZealandArmy Corps (ANZAC) troops began landings on thepeninsula on 25 April. Blair and his men wereimmediately involved in heavy fighting for a small hillknown as Baby 700. Despite initial successes, albeit atvery heavy cost, the landings began to stall. Blair’s unitwere pinned down by heavy fire.

The official Australian historian Charles Bean recountsthat Blair had a premonition of his death beforelanding; “he realised that he would play this game as hehad played Rugby Football - with his whole heart.”While kneeling up to show his men how to take betteraim, he was shot and killed. He was awarded theMilitary Cross and is commemorated by a special

They Played

memorial in Baby 700 cemetery on the GallipoliPeninsula, Turkey.

Dr Herbert Moran, the first Australian Captain, said ofBlair, “For me who knew him well this is his epitaph:He never hung out of a ruck.”

EnglandVice Admiral Norman AthertonWodehouseThe perfect season, or Grand Slam, is something allmodern players aspire to. The same was true of theirpredecessors and in 1913 the England team, under thecaptaincy of Norman Wodehouse, became the first sideto achieve a Grand Slam in the Five NationsChampionship.

Norman was born in 1887 and won 14 caps forEngland between 1910 and 1913, captaining his countryon six occasions. He was a formidable forward who leda truly talented side. That first Grand Slam ushered in agolden era of English rugby but after securing victory,Norman retired from test rugby to continue his careerwith the Royal Navy. At this time, the game of rugbywas played by amateurs and players had to find abalance between their careers and their love of thegame.

d The Game

During the First World War, Norman served withdistinction as a gunnery officer on board thebattleship HMS Revenge at the Battle of Jutland.Several of his Grand Slam winning team were to bekilled during the war, including such gifted players asRonnie Poulton-Palmer and John Raphael, butNorman survived and his naval career later secured

him the position of Aide-de-Camp to King GeorgeVI, for which he was awarded the Companion of the

Order of the Bath.

When the Second World War began in 1939 Norman wasrecalled to active service. In 1941 he was commanding a

convoy to South Africa when they were attacked by Germansubmarines. Norman ordered the convoy to scatter and his ship

was never seen again. He is commemorated on the LiverpoolNaval Memorial and was inducted onto the Twickenham Wall of Fame

in April 2001.

FranceLieutenant Marcel BurgunMarcel played at centre for France on 11 occasions, including theirfirst ever international victory in 1911, which was against Scotland.

He entered military service in 1910 and with the outbreak of war in1914 was made a Sub-Lieutenant in the Artillery Regiment. In 1915,Marcel asked to join the newest branch of the services, the airforce.He first flew as an observer, pinpointing targets for artillery but bySeptember 1915 he wanted a more aggressive role as a fighter pilot,undoubtedly due to the fact that his brother had been killed at thefront.

On 2 September 1916 Marcel set out on what was to be his lastpatrol. He came across a German aircraft and decided to attack buta second German plane appeared and he was shot down and killed.

Marcel received three citations for bravery and was awarded theCroix de Guerre medal. He is buried in the Cimetiere de MontFrenet, La Cheppe, Marne, France.

IrelandCaptain Robert AlexanderRobert “Bob” Alexander was born in Belfast in 1910 and was anatural sportsman, playing both rugby and cricket at internationallevel.

Bob made his debut for Ireland against England in 1936 and played atotal of 11 times for his country, scoring one try. Considered a largeplayer by the standards of the day, Bob’s speed made him a naturalfor his favoured position, Flanker.

Bob also played with the Barbarians in 1935/36 and toured with theBritish Lions team to South Africa in 1938, playing in all three testsand scoring a try in the third game “made possible by a tremendous

burst of speed which brought thespectators to their feet.” The Lionswon the game, although they lost theseries by two games to one. In total,he scored six tries on the tour whichwas a record for a forward at thetime.

In 1937 Bob joined the Royal UlsterConstabulary but with the coming ofthe Second World War he enlisted inthe Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, quicklyrising from the ranks to becommissioned as an officer in 1940.By the end of 1941 he held the rankof Captain and was a highlyrespected member of the Regiment.

While on home leave in 1942, Bobcaptained Ireland in a friendly gameagainst the British Army. It was to behis last game for his country.

In July 1943 Bob was ordered to leadhis troops in an attack across theSimento River in Sicily. “Bob passedme on the way. I wished him luck.He paused for a second andwhispered to me with a smile, ‘It’ssuicide’, and then he went on. SirDavid Cole, fellow officer. Bob waskilled and is buried with many of hiscomrades in Catania War Cemetery,Sicily.

In a letter to Bob’s brother, his Commanding Officerwrote; “I cannot put on paper what a loss he has beento the Regiment as the finest type of officer and leader,and to us personally as a friend.”

New ZealandPilot Officer (Pilot) Donald GordonCobdenDonald Cobden was born in Christchurch in 1914 andfrom an early age proved to be a fine rugby player.

An incredible season saw Donald rise from rugbyobscurity to the coveted All Blacks jersey. He had onlyplayed seven first class matches when he was selectedto play for the All Blacks against the Springboks inAugust 1937. Just 25 minutes into the game a badtackle severely injured Donald. He was forced to leavethe field, missed the rest of that season and neveragain played at the highest level.

In late 1937 Donald came to England and in 1938 hejoined the Royal Air Force (RAF) on a short service

commission. He maintained his interest in rugby, playingfor Catford Bridge, Kent, and the RAF but with theSecond World War about to start Donald was soonneeded on active service.

Donald was posted to 74 Squadron who were flyingSpitfires and operating from a base at Hornchurch inEssex. On 11 August, Donald was despatched withmembers of 76 squadron to protect a convoy andbecame engaged with a large group of Messerschmit BF110s approximately 10 miles off the coast of Harwich.During the fighting Donald was last seen attacking anumber of enemy aircraft. No one witnessed whathappened next but Donald failed to return and wasofficially posted as missing. It was his 26th birthday.

His body was later washed ashore on the Belgian coastwhere he is buried in Oostende New CommunalCemetery (left).

ScotlandSurgeon David Revell Bedell-SivrightOver rugby’s long history, some players, events andgames have become the stuff of legend, where fact andfiction combine to make a great tale. Many of thesestories centre on post match celebrations, and perhapstwo of the best anecdotes are linked with David Bedell-Sivright.

David was a large, physical and skilful player, consideredto be one of the best forwards of his day. It is allegedthat one night, following some riotous celebrations afteran international, David rugby tackled a cart-horse inPrincess Street, Edinburgh, and that on another occasionhe lay down on the cable tram rails in the city and heldup traffic for an hour, no policeman being foolhardyenough to disturb him!

David may have liked to enjoy himself away from therugby field but on the pitch he was a serious player wholed by example. He was also a keen boxer and wasScottish Amateur Heavyweight Champion in 1909. But itwas in rugby that his real talent laid.

From school rugby, to captain of both Edinburgh andCambridge Universities’ first teams, David went on toplay for Scotland on 22 occasions between 1900 and1908 – their most successful ever period. David alsowent on two British Lions tours, captaining the secondtour in 1904.

In 1915, while serving with the Medical Unit of the RoyalNaval Division during the Gallipoli campaign, Davidcontracted Septicaemia, a disease of the blood. He diedon 5 September and was buried at sea. He iscommemorated by name on the Portsmouth NavalMemorial, England (left).

South AfricaJan Willem Hunter Morkel (Jacky)Men and women from all over the Commonwealthanswered the “call to arms” during both wars. Many ofthem died fighting in remote regions or in smallercampaigns that were equally important to the overallwar effort. No matter where or how they died theirgraves, memorials and names are still cared for by theCommission.

Jacky made his debut for South Africa on the 1912/13tour of the British Isles and France when he played inall five tests, scoring four tries and a total of 16 points.His individual brilliance was credited with a narrow winover the Welsh club side, Llanelli. The 1912/13Springboks were the first southern hemisphere teamto achieve a Grand Slam of five wins against the HomeNations and France.

When war broke out Jacky, despite being employed inan industry considered essential to the war effort,enlisted in the Mounted Commandos, a South Africanforce, engaged in difficult fighting, in what was thenknown as German East Africa. Sickness and diseasewas a constant problem for troops fighting in this harshenvironment and on the 15 May 1916 Jacky died ofdysentery. He is buried in (right) Dar Es Salaam WarCemetery in Tanzania.

The entry for him in the International Roll of Honourshows how highly he was thought of. “He upheld inthe worthiest possible manner the teachings of therugby game....and his case will stand for all time as ashinning example to his countrymen.”

WalesLieutenant John Raymond EvansBy 1934, John Evans had become a prominent player at club level forthe Welsh side Newport and he was rewarded for his performanceswhen he was one of thirteen new caps selected to play for Walesagainst England at Cardiff. Although Wales lost, and this was to be hisonly appearance for his country, John is one of only four WelshInternationals ever to captain the side on their debut. With typicalmodesty and good humour he always insisted the reason behind thiswas that he was the only player in the side that could speak bothWelsh and English.

With war imminent, John signed up with the South Wales Borderers,he later transferred to the Welsh Guards before volunteering forservice with the Parachute Regiment, eventually serving as aLieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in North Africa during 1942/43. Itwas while serving with this unit that John was killed during an attack tosecure some high ground near an important road. He is buried inTabarka Ras Rajel War Cemetery, Tunisia

John’s commanding officer, Major Alan Bush, a 1934 Oxford rugbyblue, who had played against John, recalled; “... in a fleeting momentmy immediate thoughts were that I remembered John's acceptance ofthe orders I had reluctantly given to him, the most horrible job I haveever ordered. He had received them as a challenge with a spirited glintin his eye, a visible reluctance, as much to say 'If you insist'.

He had not been the best of Regimental officers, for in him was toomuch of the rebel, too much individuality in his great body for that, yetsome instinct made him always respond rightly and immediately to theneeds of the occasion, I would miss him, the naughty glint in his eyewhen he recalled an escapade following an international rugby match,thoughts lingered for many days until my initial sadness was dispelled.”

John's batman recalled that; “.... he was not the typical officer, onroute marches he would sing 'We’ll keep the red flag flying high', andwould turn up at the pub and have drinking contests with members ofhis platoon, no one could beat him. His platoon would follow himanywhere and did so when action was called for.”

AcknowledgementThis leaflet would not have been possible without the generous support and help of the Museum of Rugby, Twickenham.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for markingand maintaining the graves of those members of the Commonwealth forceswho died during the two world wars, for building and maintainingmemorials to the dead whose graves are unknown and for providingrecords and registers of these 1.7 million burials and commemorationswhich are found in most countries throughout the world.

Enquiries about the location of individual burials and commemorations maybe directed to the office below or to the Debt of Honour Register- a searchby surname database at the Commission’s web site at www.cwgc.org.

Contact Information For further information contact:Commonwealth War Graves Commission2 Marlow RoadMaidenheadBerkshireSL6 7DX

Tel: +44 (0) 1628 502700Fax: +44 (0) 1628 771208Email: casualty.enq@cwgc.org