Albert Lewis Stewart, (19 February 1889 – 4 October 1917) was an Irish rugby union player and decorated British Army officer. He played for North of Ireland Football Club from 1907 to 1914, and made three appearances for the

Ireland national rugby union team The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Champi ...

. During World War I, he served in the Royal Irish Rifles and the Machine Gun Corps. He was killed in action in the Battle of Broodseinde during the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

Early life

Stewart was born on 19 February 1889 in Belfast, Ireland, to James and Isabella Stewart. His father was a solicitor. Between 1902 and 1907, he was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, an all-boys grammar school in Belfast.

Sporting career

School level

Stewart started playing rugby union while he was still at school. From 1903 to 1907, he played for the first XV of the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He played as a full back in his first year on the team, then switched to playing as a centre for the remaining years. From 1905 to 1907, he also played for Ulster in the schools' inter-provincial competition. In addition to rugby, Stewart played a number of other sports while at school. From 1904 to 1906, he played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

with his school's first XI. He was both a good batsman and a good fielder. He was also a successful swimmer, specialising in the relay. He was part of the team who won the junior gymnastics competition in 1904, and personally won a number of prizes for sprinting.

Club level

After leaving school in 1907, Stewart joined the North of Ireland Football Club (NIFC), a rugby union club based in Belfast. He played centre. In 1909, his team won the Ulster Senior League, and he was awarded the NIFC Honour Cap. He served as Vice-Captain of his club in the 1911/1912 season, and was

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of his club in the 1913/1914 season.

Rugby international

In February 1913, Stewart was selected to play for the

. He achieved three caps during his international career, and would have achieved more if it wasn't for the outbreak of World War I in 1914. He scored a try in his debut international match. He played in the following matches:

Military service

In September 1914, Stewart applied for a commission in the British Army. He was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rifles as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 22 September 1914. He was assigned to the 10th Service Battalion (South Belfast Volunteers), Royal Irish Rifles. He then underwent training at Newcastle, County Down. On 23 November 1914, he was made a temporary lieutenant. Next, he was posted to

Ballykinlar Camp Abercorn Barracks, sometimes referred to as Ballykinlar Barracks or Ballykinler Barracks, is a former military base in Ballykinler in County Down, Northern Ireland. The surrounding training area is retained by the Ministry of Defence. Early histo ...

Ballykinlar Ballykinler (), often transcribed as Ballykinlar, is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, in the parish of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 34 ...

, County Down, as part of the

36th (Ulster) Division The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the ''Ulster Division'', it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, wh ...

. In Spring 1915, he was appointed his battalion's Machine Gun Officer. In May 1915, he and the division moved to Seaford, Sussex, England. From there, they moved to

Bramshott Camp Bramshott Military Camp, often simplified to Camp Bramshott, was a temporary army camp set up on Bramshott Common, Hampshire, England during both the First and Second World Wars. Camp Bramshott was one of three facilities in the Aldershot Comman ...

, a temporary army camp on

Bramshott Common Bramshott Common is part of a large expanse of heathland, including Ludshott Common, near Bramshott, Hampshire, England. It was the site of Bramshott Camp Bramshott Military Camp, often simplified to Camp Bramshott, was a temporary army camp s ...

, Hampshire. On 25 August 1915, he was promoted to temporary

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Stewart spent the first year of his military service, serving within the United Kingdom. On 1 October 1915, he and his battalion departed for France and the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. On 18 December 1915, he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps in the rank of temporary lieutenant with seniority from 23 November 1914. He was involved in fighting during the winter of 1915/1916. On 1 July 1916, the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

began. Stewart saw action and survived the deadliest day the British Army had ever seen (roughly 60,000 casualties, with 20,000 men killed). On 10 July 1916, he was promoted to temporary

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and appointed officer commanding the 22nd Machine Gun Company. On 1 January 1917, he was promoted to temporary major.

Death

Stewart was killed in action on 4 October 1917 during the Battle of Broodseinde near Ypres, Belgium. He had been fighting in Glencorse Wood and was trying to seize ground from the Germans when he was killed. He was aged 28. Stewart was buried in

Hooge Crater Cemetery Hooge Crater Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the World War I, First World War located in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front. Hooge Crater Cemetery is named ...

, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground in Flanders, Belgium.

Personal life

Stewart was a Presbyterian Christian and was a member of the Windsor Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Honours

For action during the Battle of the Somme, Stewart was recommended for the Victoria Cross (the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy), but the award was not approved. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

twice; in 1916 and in 1917. On 1 January 1918, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) "for distinguished service in the field".

References

External links

*
CWGC: Albert Lewis Stewart
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Albert 1889 births 1917 deaths Rugby union players from Belfast Presbyterians from Northern Ireland People educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution Irish rugby union players Rugby union centres North of Ireland F.C. players Ireland international rugby union players Royal Ulster Rifles officers Machine Gun Corps officers British military personnel killed in World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Irish Presbyterians Burials at Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Belfast