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 Inglis, The Reverend Rupert Edward played for England Internationals: 3 : 1886 W+ I+ S= Rupert Inglis was born on 17 May 1884, the son of Sir John Inglis, the defender of Lucknow. Played as a Forward for: Rugby School, Oxford University (Blue 1883-1884), Blackheath, Middlesex Profession: Royal Army Chaplains’ Department Remarks: He was ordained in 1899. Curate of Helmsley, Rector of Frittendon, Stablehurst, Kent. On 13 April 1905 he read the committal part of the service during the funeral of General Lord Chelmsford, of Zulu War fame. R E Inglis was the oldest of the three Old Rugbeian International players to be killed in the War, the other two being R L Pillman and R W Poulton-Palmer. War service: Chaplain to the Army (4th Class) from July 1915; attached to the 16th Infantry Brigade, 6th Division, in France and Flanders. He was killed in action (aged 52) on 18 September 1916, at Ginchy, while bringing in wounded soldiers under heavy fire, and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France [Pier and Face 4 C].
RUPERT EDWARD INGLIS Chaplain, Army Chaplains' Dept Died 18th September 1916, aged 53 Born on 17th May 1863 Son of Major-General Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis, K.C.B., Defender of Lucknow in the Indian Mutiny, and of the Hon. Julia Selina Thesiger, fourth daughter of the first Baron Chelmsford, Lord Chancellor. They had seven children: John Frederick Inglis (b. 1852, d. 1852) John Frederick Inglis (b. 1853) Charles George Inglis (b. 1855) Alfred Markham Inglis (b. 1856) Victoria Alexandria Inglis (b. 1859) Julia Mathilda Inglis (b. 1861) Rupert Edward Inglis (b. 1863) Educated at Rugby, University College, Oxford and Ely Theological College. Ordained in 1889. Married Helen Mary Gilchrist on 11th June 1900. They had three children: Joan Clara Thesiger Inglis (b. 1901) John "Tommy" Gilchrist Thesiger Inglis (b. 1906) Margaret Cohcrane "Margy" Inglis (b. 1911) Lived at The Rectory, Frittenden, Kent. Later his widow moved to Cuttens, East Grinstead. Commemorated on the War Memorial in Frittenden and the Lyche Gate at the Church is dedicated to him He entered Rugby School in 1877, was in the XV in 1879 and 1880, and in the XI in 1881, in which year he went up to University College, Oxford. He was in the famous Oxford XVs of 1883 and 1884, and won his International Cap in 1886, when he played against Scotland and Wales. He was ordained in 1889, held curacies at Helmsley and Basingstoke, and in 1900 was appointed Rector of Frittenden, Kent. Former England International Rugby Football player. Early in the War he volunteered for service and went to France, as Chaplain to the Forces, 4th Class, in July, 1915. For a short while he did duty at No. 23 General Hospital, Etaples, and then joined No. 21 Casualty Clearing Station at Corbie, near Albert. In December 1915, he was attached to the 16th Infantry Brigade, 6th Division, in the Ypres Salient. The Brigade consisted of the 1st King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, the 1st Buffs, the 2nd York and Lancasters, and the 8th Bedfords. On September 18th, 1916, during the fighting near Ginchy in the Battle of the Somme, he joined a party of stretcher-bearers, in order to help bring in the wounded. While doing this, he was struck by a fragment of shell and while his wound was being dressed a second shell killed him instantaneously. During the days before his death he had constantly been out searching for wounded men, and the tale of his supreme self-sacrifice and devotion, for which his name had been sent in for the Military Cross, is clear from the following letters. A brother Officer wrote: “Wednesday, September 20th, 1916 "On Monday afternoon at about 3.15, whilst searching for wounded, who had been lying out for several days, he was hit by a shell and killed instantly………whilst his Brigade (and Division) had been in the big fight he had been acting rather as a free lance - making his quarters back at the transport lines, and going up for longish spells to help with the wounded at the Advanced Dressing Stations near the line. One attack (believed to be on the Quadrilateral), which his Brigade and others in the Division made last Friday, was unsuccessful, with the result that at nightfall our line was behind the ground over which the troops had to advance. This meant that many wounded had to be left out – some of them, at any rate, until on Monday morning the ground was won by a successful attack. I think that he joined in efforts that were made previous to the successful attack to rescue wounded by night………….He had evidently being working rather as a free lance, and had helped in the finding of wounded not only belonging to his own Battalion, but to others in the Division. I cannot overstate the sorrow there is today in the Brigade. “They simply loved him” so said several officers and men in the Shropshires to me to-day”. He has fallen doing gallant work for others and is loved and mourned throughout the Division. The Brigadier and others had tried to restrain him, but the need of those poor lads, lying out wounded hour after hour, could not be denied.” The Times 29th September 1916 RUGBY INTERNATIONAL AND CHAPLAIN The REV. RUPERT EDWARD INGLIS, Chaplain to the Forces, who was killed by a shell on September 18, aged 53 years, as he was helping to bring in wounded, was the youngest son of the late Major-general Sir John Inglis, defender of Lucknow. He was educated at Rugby, University college, Oxford and Ely Theological College. At Rugby he obtained his colours for both cricket and football. At Oxford he was three years in the football fifteen, and in 1886 he obtained his international cap. He was ordained in 1880, and held curacies at Helsley and Basingstoke, and was appointed rector of Frittenden in 1889. He volunteered to join the Forces as chaplain, and went to the front on July 5, 1915. he went first to a general hospital, and then to a casualty clearing station, and in December joined the division to which he was attached at the time of his death. He married Helen May, eldest daughter of Mr. W. O. Gilchrist, 200, Queen's-gate, and leaves a son and two daughters. One who knew him writes:- "I cannot overstate the sorrow there is to-day in his brigade - they simply loved him." The Scotsman 30th September 1916 THE REV. RUPERT EDWARD INGLIS The Rev. Rupert Edward Inglis, Chaplain to the Forces, who was killed by a shell as he was helping to bring in wounded, was the youngest son of the late Major-general Sir John Inglis, defender of Lucknow. He was 53 years of age, and was educated at Rugby, University college, Oxford and Ely Theological College. At Rugby he obtained his colours for both cricket and football. At Oxford he was three years in the football fifteen, and in 1885 he obtained his international cap, playing in all three England matches against Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The drawn match at Edinburgh was the first that had been played since the 1884 dispute. The Oxford Magazine 10th November 1916 Killed, in the act of bringing in wounded, on Monday, September 18, the Rev. RUPERT EDWARD INGLIS, M.A., Rector of Frittenden, Temporary Chaplain to the Forces, attached to the Infantry Brigade; youngest son of the late Major-General Sir John Inglis, K.C.B., defender of Lucknow; educated at Rugby and University College. Aged 53. After his death his wife edited the letters he had written and privately published a volume as a record for their children and others. His diaries make fascinating reading of life in the trenches during the 1914-18 war. http://www.inglis.uk.com/diaryofrupertinglis.htm
Annie Thanks for the photo. While re-reading the extra information that you supplied, I noticed that his children had Thesiger in their names. I wonder if there's a connection with Frederic Augustus Thesiger, Lord Chelmsford, of Zulu War fame? Gareth
He's related ( in some way ) to quite a few famous people ... including ... http://ww2chat.com/forums/biographies/5554-claude-thesiger-ashton.html http://www.inglis.uk.com/page6.html Annie
