Edgar Roberts Mobbs (1882–1917) was an English rugby union footballer who played for and captained
Northampton R.F.C. and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He played as a three quarter. Mobbs is commemorated in the
Ella-Mobbs Trophy
The Ella-Mobbs Trophy (formerly the Cook Cup from 1997–2021) is a rugby union trophy contested between Australia and England.
The Cook Cup was established in 1997 when the Wallabies and England contracted to play each other bi-annually for a d ...
, first competed for by the Australia and England rugby union teams in the 2022 series.
Life
Edgar Roberts Mobbs was born on 29 June 1882 in
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, the son of Oliver L. and Elizabeth Anne Mobbs. A brother was
Noel Mobbs
Sir Arthur Noel Mobbs (1878–1959) was the founder of Slough Estates, one of the United Kingdom's largest property businesses.
Career
Brought up in Northampton, Mobbs was educated at Bedford Modern School. Together with his brother, Herbert, ...
(1878–1959), founder of Slough Estates. He was educated at
Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School (often called BMS) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in Bedford Charity, The Harpur Trust, born from the financial endowment, endowments le ...
where the name of a house commemorates him.
After initially being turned down as too old to join the army in 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 ...
, Mobbs raised his own
"sportsman's" company of 250 sportsmen (also known as Mobbs' Own) for the
Northamptonshire Regiment
The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Ow ...
. He rose to command his battalion (7th
(Service) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment) with the rank of
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
.
He was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
in the
1917 New Year Honours.
![Mobbs 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Mobbs_1.jpg)
Mobbs was killed in action, on 31 July 1917, at
Zillebeke
Zillebeke (also known as Zellebeck) is a village in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium. It is a former municipality which is now part of Ypres.
History
On 3 March 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms of the last Lords o ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, during the
Third Battle of Ypres
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 ...
, while attacking a machine gun post. His body has not been found, so his name is on the
Menin Gate
The Menin Gate ( nl, Menenpoort), officially the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves a ...
memorial. Mobbs is also commemorated with a bust in Northampton.
[
In 1921 the first Mobbs' Memorial Match was held between the East Midlands RFU and the Barbarians at ]Franklin's Gardens
Franklin's Gardens (currently known for sponsorship purposes as cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens) is a purpose-built rugby stadium in Northampton, England. It is the home stadium of Northampton Saints. The stadium holds 15,249 people. The fou ...
. In 2008 the Barbarians played Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues are a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The Blues are a semi-pro ...
in the Mobbs Memorial Match at Goldington Road
Goldington Road is a rugby ground in the De Parys area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is the home stadium of Bedford Blues. As of 2019 the stadium holds 5,000 people (down from 6,000). The stadium also has two hospitality boxes, "The La ...
and did so again in 2009. The final Mobbs Match to feature the Barbarians took place in April 2011 against Bedford. The fixture continues to be played with the Army Rugby Union
The Army Rugby Union (ARU) is the governing body for rugby union in the British Army and a constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The ARU was formed on 31 December 1906 and marked the fulfilment of Lieutenant J. E. C. "Birdie" Partr ...
facing Bedford and Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...
in alternate years and the game helps to raise money for youth rugby in the area.[
Edgar Mobbs Way, a road in Northampton, close to Franklin's Gardens stadium, is named after him. A band from Northampton have named themselves The Mobbs after Edgar Mobbs.
]
See also
*
References
External links
History of the Raising of the 7th (Service) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mobbs, Edgar
1882 births
1917 deaths
English rugby union players
England international rugby union players
Northampton Saints players
Northamptonshire Regiment officers
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
British military personnel killed in World War I
British Army personnel of World War I
Barbarian F.C.
Barbarian F.C. players
People educated at Bedford Modern School
Rugby union players from Northampton
Rugby union wings