David Dickie Howie (12 May 1888 – 19 January 1916) was a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player, who represented and Kirkcaldy RFC. He enlisted as a trooper in the local yeomanry in September 1914, at the start of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After undergoing training in England, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery in April 1915 and despatched to Gallipoli in August. During the evacuation of Anzac Bay, he contracted pneumonia, and died in Cairo, Egypt, after shooting himself with a revolver while in a state of delirium. He is buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. Howie, who played as a forward, was capped seven times for Scotland between 1912 and 1913.

Early life and family

David Dickie Howie was born in Rosebery Temple, Midlothian, to Archibald and Jessie Howie. He attended

Kirkcaldy High School Kirkcaldy High School is a 6-year co-educational comprehensive state school in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. History The school was established in 1582 as Kirkcaldy Burgh School; the "High School" name dates from the middle part of the 19th&nb ...

. While there, he played as a forward in the school rugby XV for three years. He also was the winner in 1903 of the Nairn Cup, awarded to the school's champion athlete. Howie, like his father, was a farmer. He married Marie Winifred Gibson, with whom he had a daughter, Eleanor Margot Linton Dickie, born 4 May 1915 in Skegness. Dave Howie was the brother of

Bob Howie Robert Howie (11 June 1898 – 14 May 1992) was a international rugby union player. He played for Kirkcaldy RFC.Bath, p. 138 Rugby Union career Amateur career He played for Kirkcaldy RFC. Provincial career Howie was capped by Midlands Dist ...

, who also played for Kirkcaldy and also gained seven national caps, in the 1920s, as well as representing Great Britain in four games on the 1924 tour to South Africa. Although he and his brother gained fourteen caps between them, their father, a grim farmer, never watched them once, saying: "''Rugby an' fermin' will no agree, an' A ken which'll pit mair money in yer pooch.''"

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Howie began playing for Kirkcaldy in 1908.Bath, p138 He was considered a "useful forward", and in 1912 became the first Kirkcaldy player to earn selection for .

Provincial career

He played for the Midlands District in their match against North of Scotland District on 19 November 1910. He played for the combined North of Scotland District against the South of Scotland District on 10 December 1910.

International career

His debut came in Scotland's first international match of 1912, with a convincing win against . He went on to play in each of the subsequent Home Nations Championship games that year, as well as participating in the game against the South African tourists in November. He was again selected in 1913 for the games against Wales and France.

International appearances

Military career and death

On 8 September 1914, Howie enlisted as a trooper in the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. He remained in training in England until April 1915, when he was commissioned into the 1st Highland Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, and sailed for Gallipoli in August 1915. During the evacuation of Anzac, he contracted pneumonia and died in Cairo on 19 January 1916. His death was from 'self-inflicted revolver wounds, whilst temporarily of unsound mind, due to the delirium of pneumonia'. According to Sister Laycock, who was tending to him, he was "quiet and drowsy" during most of the day, and shot himself a few minutes after she had last seen him alive, apparently sleeping: she heard the shot on entering the room again. He is buried at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Grave No. 267 D and is commemorated on the Kinghorn War Memorial.

References

Bibliography

* Bath, Richard (ed.) ''The Scotland Rugby Miscellany'' (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ) * Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; ) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howie, Dave 1888 births 1916 deaths 1916 suicides British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I Kirkcaldy RFC players Midlands District players North of Scotland (combined side) players People educated at Kirkcaldy High School Royal Field Artillery officers Rugby union players from Midlothian Scotland international rugby union players Scottish rugby union players Suicides by firearm in Egypt Rugby union forwards