This is one of a series of posts to mark the international Rugby players who died during The Great War. If anyone has further information on the men concerned, I’d be most grateful if it could be added to the thread. Gareth Wilson, John Skinner played for Scotland Internationals: 2: 1908 I- ; 1909 W- John Wilson was born on 10 March 1884 in Trinidad Played as a Forward for: HMS Britannia, United Services Portsmouth, Royal Navy, London Scottish Profession: Royal Navy Remarks: Played for the Officers of the Royal Navy v the Officers of the Army in December 1907 (15-0) and 1913 (18-8) as well as for Combined Navy and Army (6-8) v the 1908-1909 Wallabies. War service: Lieutenant Commander in HMS Indefatigable. He was killed in action on 31 May 1916 when the Indefatigable class Battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable was sunk by gunfire from SMS von der Tann off Jutland. HMS Indefatigable had been under fire for about fifteen minutes when, at 0503, it disappeared in a tremendous cloud of black smoke twice the height of her masts. Later two more hits were observed from the following ship, HMS New Zealand. Shells pierced the ship’s armour and caused massive internal explosions. HMS Indefatigable sank with 57 officers and 960 men; 2 survivors were picked up by the German torpedo-boat S.68. Lt Cdr Wilson is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon, United Kingdom [Panel 10].
