Wikipedia

Lewis Robertson

Captain Lewis Robertson (4 August 1883 – 3 November 1914) was a Scottish rugby union player. He played for London Scottish FC and was capped nine times for Scotland between 1908 and 1913. He also played for the Army from 1904 to 1914, and several other clubs.

Lewis Robertson
Date of birth(1883-08-04)4 August 1883
Place of birthEdinburgh, Scotland
Date of death2 November 1914(1914-11-02) (aged 31)
Place of deathYpres salient, Belgium
Rugby union career
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Fettesian-Lorettonian ()
– Edinburgh Wanderers ()
– London Scottish ()
– Army Rugby Union ()
– Monkstown ()
– United Services Portsmouth ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1910 Edinburgh District ()
1911 Whites Trial ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1908–13 Scotland 9
----
Military career
Buried
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1903–1914
RankCaptain
Unit1st Bn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Battles / warsFirst World War

After leaving school, he attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and, passing out with honours, he joined the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in 1903. He was killed in World War I from wounds received in action at Ypres. He is buried at the Ypres Reservoir Cemetery.

Early life

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Lewis Robertson was born on 4 August 1883, the third son of James, a wine merchant, and Agnes Rae Robertson of Edinburgh.[1][2] His siblings were Agnes, William, James, Katherine, Jessie, and Frances.[3] He attended Cargilfield Preparatory School, and Fettes College, and then went on to RMC Sandhurst.[1]

Rugby Union career

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Amateur career

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Robertson played rugby for Fettesian-Lorettonian, London Scottish, Monkstown, Edinburgh Wanderers, and United Services Portsmouth. He also represented RMC Sandhurst against RMA Sandhurst in 1902, and the Army in the annual match against the Navy from 1909 to 1914. In the last year, he was captain of the Army XV but he voluntarily offered to relinquish his position because he deemed himself out of form and unworthy of it, according to an article published after his death in Windsor Magazine.[1]

Provincial career

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He played for Edinburgh District against Glasgow District in the 1910 inter-city match, while with Edinburgh Wanderers. Edinburgh District won the match 26–5.[4]

He played for the Whites Trial side against the Blues Trial side on 21 January 1911, while with London Scottish. He scored a drop goal in a 26–19 win for the Whites.[5]

International career

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He earned nine caps for Scotland between 1908 and 1913.[6] The first was against England in March 1908, and three years passed before he was selected a second time, for the match against Wales in February 1911. The following year, 1912, he played in every game for Scotland (except the France match), including the one against the South African side on tour of the Home Nations. He was selected for the France match but did not play due to a family bereavement. In 1913, he played in the three matches against the Home Nations, his last against England in a close-fought match at Twickenham, which the home side won by one try to nil.[7]

International appearances

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Opposition Score Result Date Venue Ref(s)
  England 16–10 Win 21 March 1908 Inverleith [8]
  Wales 10–32 Lost 4 February 1911 Inverleith [9]
  Wales 21–6 Lost 3 February 1912 Swansea [10]
  Ireland 10–8 Lost 24 February 1912 Lansdowne Road [11]
  England 8–3 Won 16 March 1912 Inverleith [12]
  South Africa 0–16 Lost 23 November 1912 Inverleith [13]
  Wales 0–8 Lost 1 February 1913 Inverleith [14]
  Ireland 29–14 Won 22 February 1913 Inverleith [15]
  England 3–0 Lost 15 March 1913 Twickenham [16]

Military career

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Memorial to the 133 rugby players killed in the Great War, at Fromelles

Robertson passed out of RMC Sandhurst with honours, and joined the 1st Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders as Second Lieutenant on 22 April 1903.[1][17] His regiment transferred to Dublin in 1905.[7] He was promoted to Lieutenant effective 11 March 1909.[18] In January 1911, he was appointed an Assistant Superintendent of Gymnasia.[19] At the outbreak of the First World War, Robertson was recalled to the depot in Inverness, and was then briefly at Aldershot before his regiment crossed to France in September 1914 to fight on the Aisne.[7] On 2 November 1914, Robertson was in the trenches at Ypres, when he was wounded in the arm. After having the wound dressed, he returned to his company and was wounded a second time, more seriously, and he died the following day.[1]

He is buried at the Ypres Reservoir Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery (Grave II. A. 4.)[2] and is also among the 133 names of rugby players killed in the Great War on the memorial at Fromelles in north France.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Clutterbuck & Dooner 1917, p. 335.
  2. ^ a b "Casualty Details: Robertson, Lewis". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
  3. ^ McEwen 2014.
  4. ^ "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search".
  5. ^ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000576/19110123/110/0009. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ Lewis Robertson at ESPNscrum
  7. ^ a b c Sewell 1919.
  8. ^ "Scotland v England".
  9. ^ "Scotland v Wales".
  10. ^ "Wales v Scotland".
  11. ^ "Ireland v Scotland".
  12. ^ "Scotland v England".
  13. ^ "Scotland v South Africa".
  14. ^ "Scotland v Wales".
  15. ^ "Scotland v Ireland".
  16. ^ "England v Scotland".
  17. ^ "No. 27545". The London Gazette. 21 April 1903. pp. 2529–2530.
  18. ^ "No. 28242". The London Gazette. 16 April 1909. p. 2968.
  19. ^ "No. 28458". The London Gazette. 20 January 1911. p. 501.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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