Arthur Wilson (rugby union)

Arthur James Wilson (29 December 1886 – 31 July 1917) was a British rugby union player who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and represented the England national team. He was a member of the British rugby union team, which won the silver medal.

Arthur Wilson

Birth name	Arthur James Wilson
Date of birth	(1886-12-29)29 December 1886
Place of birth	Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Date of death	31 July 1917(1917-07-31) (aged 30)
Place of death	Pilckem Ridge, Passchendaele salient, Belgium
Rugby union career
Position(s) Forward Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Camborne School of Mines () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1909 England 1 (0)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Rank	Private
Unit	12 Royal Fusiliers
Battles / wars	First World War Battle of Passchendaele Battle of Pilckem Ridge  †
Medal record Men's rugby union Representing Great Britain Olympic Games 1908 London Team competition

Early life

Arthur Wilson was born on 29 December 1886 in Newcastle upon Tyne, the son of Henry and Emily Wilson. He attended the Glenalmond College and then the Camborne School of Mines.

After qualifying as a mining engineer at the latter, he worked as such in the Gold Coast Colony (now Ghana) and as a tea planter in India.

Rugby career

Cornwall rugby olympics 1908

Wilson was selected to play for Cornwall on seventeen occasions. He was part of the Cornwall team that reached the County Championship final for the first time in 1908, against Durham. The match, contested on 28 March 1908 at Redruth, Cornwall, was won by Cornwall 17–3.

In 1908, the Olympic Games were hosted in London, and it was decided to include rugby in the event. Although several international teams had initially entered the tournament, the Home Nations were unable to decide amongst themselves who should represent the United Kingdom, and France, the previous winners, withdrew. The Wallabies were then on a tour of the Home Nations, and were the only team left. The RFU asked Cornwall, the day after Australia had beaten them 18–5, to represent the United Kingdom and to provide some opposition to Australia, rather than allow them to win by default. The match was held on 26 October. The previous day, the Cornwall team took the train to London, stopping off at Plymouth to have lunch and consume alcohol, then continued their festivities on reaching London. On the day of the match, the Cornish team took a tour of the city in the morning, followed by lunch at the Garden Club, at the invitation of the President of the Cornish Rugby Union. The match was played at White City alongside the outdoor swimming pool. Australia won the game 32–3. The Times reported "Cornwall completely failed to find their game, their forwards executed a few good rushes but their backs, without exception, were not only too slow but were continually failing in their fielding. One expected better football from the champion county side." The Australian newspaper The Age remarked: "The Cornwall forwards were good, but their backs were outpaced and beaten by the cleverness of the Australians." At 21 years of age, Wilson was the youngest player on the team, but Australia's Dan Carroll was younger aged 16.

International appearances

Opposition	Score	Result	Date	Venue	Ref(s)
Ireland	5–11	Won	13 February 1909	Lansdowne Road

Military service

At the start of World War I, Wilson enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and was killed when serving in the 12th battalion of the Royal Fusiliers in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, Belgium, reportedly aged 29. He is commemorated at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.

See also

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

Bibliography

• McCrery, Nigel (2014). Into Touch: Rugby Internationals Killed in the Great War. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1473833210.