Charles Edward Wilson (rugby union)

For other people named Charles Wilson, see Charles Wilson (disambiguation).

Charles Edward Wilson (2 June 1871 – 17 September 1914) was an England rugby international and British Army officer who was killed during the First World War.

Charles Wilson

Date of birth	(1871-06-02)2 June 1871
Place of birth	Fermoy, Ireland
Date of death	17 September 1914(1914-09-17) (aged 43)
Place of death	Aisne, France
Rugby union career
Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Barbarians () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) Blackheath F.C. () International career Years Team Apps (Points)  England 1
----
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1892–1914
Rank	Captain
Unit	Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment
Battles/wars	Second Boer War First World War
Awards	Légion d’Honneur

Early life

Born at Fermoy, County Cork, Wilson was the son of Major General F. E. G. Wilson. He was educated at Dover College and joined the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in July 1892. He graduated in July 1896 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment on 22 July 1896.^[1]

Military career

Wilson served with his regiment in the Second Boer War, where he took part in the relief of Ladysmith, including the battles of Spion Kop (January 1900) and the Tugela Heights (February 1900). On 24 August 1901 he was promoted to the rank of captain,^[1] and in April 1902 he was appointed a staff officer as an Assistant Provost-Marshal in South Africa.^[2] He stayed there until after the end of the war, leaving Cape Town on the SS Orient in October 1902,^[3] and was back as a regular officer with his regiment on his return.^[4] For his war service, he was mentioned in Despatches, and received the Queen's Medal with two clasps and the King's Medal with two clasps.

He later served in India.^{[citation needed]}

During the First World War, Wilson served as the adjutant of the 1st Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. He served on the Western Front and was awarded the Légion d’Honneur. He was killed in action on 17 September 1914 during the Battle of the Aisne, on the River Aisne. He is buried in Paissy Churchyard, Aisne, France [Grave 2],^[5] and was survived by his wife Mabel (née Carr) and their two sons.^[1]

Rugby career

Wilson played rugby at a high standard as a forward. He represented the Army^[6] and top class side Blackheath F.C., and was an active member of the club in 1895, the year he was offered and accepted an invitation to tour with the Barbarians.^[7] In 1898, and still playing for Blackheath, Wilson represented England in a rugby union international, playing as a forward against Ireland in a match played at Richmond as part of the 1898 Home Nations Championship.^[8] The England team, under the captaincy of J. F. Byrne, was fairly inexperienced with Wilson being one of six new caps into the team, four within the pack. The Irish controlled the game from the start and won 9–6. Wilson never represented his country again.

International appearance

Opposition	Score	Result	Date	Venue	Ref(s)
Ireland	6–9	Lost	5 Feb 1898	Richmond	^[9]

See also

• List of international rugby union players killed in action during the First World War

References

1. Lewis Augustus Clutterbuck, William Toke Dooner (1917), The bond of sacrifice, vol. 1, p. 447–448
2. "No. 27447". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 June 1902. p. 4120.
3. "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36905. London. 22 October 1902. p. 9.
4. "No. 27508". The London Gazette. 23 December 1902. p. 8842.
5. "CWGC Casualty Details: Wilson, Charles Edward". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
6. Griffiths, John (1982). Book of English International Rugby 1872-1982. London: Willow Books. p. 487. ISBN 978-0-00-218006-1.
7. Starmer-Smith, Nigel (1977). The Barbarians. Macdonald & Jane's Publishers. p. 233. ISBN 0-86007-552-4.
8. Charles Wilson at ESPNscrum
9. . Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.

Bibliography

• Lewis Augustus Clutterbuck, William Toke Dooner (1917), The bond of sacrifice, vol. 1
• Griffiths, John (1982). Book of English International Rugby 1872-1982. London: Willow Books. ISBN 978-0-00-218006-1.
• Starmer-Smith, Nigel (1977). The Barbarians. Macdonald & Jane's Publishers. ISBN 0-86007-552-4.