Charles William Sherrard, RE (25 December 1848 – 1938) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

officer and rugby union international who represented England from 1871 to 1872. Additionally, along with Lieutenant Charles Arthur Crompton RE, he was the first member of the armed forces to represent their national side.

Early life

Charles Sherrard was born on 25 December 1848 in London, the son of James Corry Sherrard, Esq. of

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

. He attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

, and was a member of Hutchinson House, leaving in 1865.

Rugby union career

Sherrard played for

Blackheath F.C. Blackheath Football Club is a rugby union club based in Well Hall, Eltham in south-east London. The club was founded in Blackheath in 1858, and is the fourth-oldest rugby club in continuous existence in the world, after Dublin University Foo ...

, an open membership club originally set up for the old boys of

Blackheath Proprietary School The Blackheath Proprietary School was an educational establishment founded in 1830. In the 19th century, it had a profound influence on the game of football, in both Association and Rugby codes. In 1863, the school became one of the founders of Th ...

, which by the time Sherrard was playing was dominated by old boys from

, amongst whom was counted Sherrard himself. He was selected for the very first international in 1871, alongside his club captain Frederick Stokes and fellow Royal Engineer Charles Crompton. He made his international debut on 27 March 1871 at

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

in the

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

and England match. Scotland won that match but Sherrard was also involved in the return match on 5 February 1872 at

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it ...

which England won.

Army service

Sherrard was gazetted as lieutenant to the Royal Engineers in 1870 rising to the rank of captain in 1882, through to major in 1888, lieutenant-colonel in 1895 and finally colonel by 1899. He also served as the Instructor in Fortifications, at the

Royal School of Military Engineering The Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) Group provides a wide range of training for the British Army and Defence. This includes; Combat Engineers, Carpenters, Chartered Engineers, Musicians, Band Masters, Sniffer Dogs, Veterinary Techni ...

, in Chatham from 1882 to 1888. He served in the

South African War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, in 1879 and was decorated with the Medal with Clasp for that campaign. In 1901 he was commanding the Chatham Sub-District and was a member of the

United Service Club The United Service Club was a London gentlemen's club founded in 1815 for the use of senior officers in the British Army and Royal Navy – those above the rank of Major or Commander – and the club was accordingly known to its members as "The ...

.Rugby School; Michell, Arthur Tompson, 1853–1923, ''RUGBY SCHOOL REGISTER. VOLUME II – FROM AUGUST, 1842, TO JANUARY, 1874.'' After a period on half-pay, he retired from the army on 16 July 1902.

Family and later life

Sherrard married Clara Maud Brooke, with whom he had six children. Clara died in 1919. He married Elizabeth Ballantyne in 1922, at the age of 73. He died in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...

(

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, cha ...

), aged 89, in 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrard, Charles 1848 births 1938 deaths English rugby union players England international rugby union players Rugby union forwards Army rugby union players Blackheath F.C. players Royal Engineers officers People educated at Rugby School Rugby union players from London