Lieutenant-colonel Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge (21 July 1879 – 28 August 1965) known as ''"The Bird"'' or "''Birdie''", was a Welsh born

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 Gurk ...

officer and international

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 its m ...

player who was capped for South Africa and was a member of the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

in that side's first international, played against Wales in 1915.Wales V Barbarians Classics - 1915
/ref> He was also the founder of 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 ...

Early life

Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge was born 21 July 1879 in Llanthewy Court, Monmouth, near Abergavenny.1881 Wales Census, Class: RG11; Piece: 5233; Folio: 5; Page: 3; Line: ; GSU roll: 1342260. He was the eldest son of Joseph Partridge (born Beaufort House,

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

, Monmouth 1843) and his wife Jessie (née James, born 1846 on the border near Kington Herefordshire). He had three younger brothers. His cousin, war hero, Richard Crawshay Bailey Partridge shared his Crawshay middle name. Their Suffolk-born grandfather, William Partridge, ironmaster, manager of the

Beaufort Ironworks Beaufort ( cy, Cendl or ''Y Cendl'') is a community and village located in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) and the preserved county of Gwent. It currently lies on the northern edge of the county borough of Blaenau Gwent in ...

who married locally born Charlotte Bevan, was the son of Elizabeth Bailey, sister of

Crawshay Bailey Crawshay Bailey (1789 – 9 January 1872) was an English industrialist who became one of the great iron-masters of Wales. Early life Bailey was born in 1789 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah. ...

and Joseph Bailey. He was sent to school at the English

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

, where he learnt his rugby. The school had a strong rugby tradition having already produced a number of international players by the time Partridge attended.

Military career

Partridge was commissioned an officer in the

Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) is the most senior regiment of the British Army Reserve. The regiment was formed in 1539 during the reign of by King Henry VIII, making it the second oldest regiment of the British Army (The Hono ...

, a

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

regiment, where he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 14 March 1901. He saw active service in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

during the

Second Boer 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 ...

. After the war ended in June 1902, he returned to the United Kingdom on the ''SS Syria'' two months later, arriving in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in early September. His later career in the

was with the

Welch Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...

, and he fought 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 ...

. 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 ...

for his part in that conflict, and eventually promoted to

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 colonel. ...

Rugby career

After leaving Dulwich, he went on to play for

Newport RFC Newport Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Casnewydd) is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division. Until 2021 Newport RFC were based at Rodney Parade situated on t ...

. His commitments with the

took him away from his homeland, however, and as a lieutenant he was sent to South Africa to fight in the Boer War. Whilst serving there, he joined the Pretoria Harlequins and latterly the provincial side,

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, later to be renamed the

Golden Lions The Golden Lions (currently known as the Sigma Golden Lions for sponsorship reasons) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Johannesburg who compete in the annual Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge. The team is governed by the ...

. He even represented South Africa after the war in 1903 in one of the three tests against a touring British XV, who are retrospectively considered as the 1903 British Lions. After he returned to the United Kingdom, whilst continuing to serve in the Army, he played club rugby for

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

and

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, ...

captaining the former in the 1906 season. He also played for the

, the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(caps 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910), and had an English trial.Founding the Army Rugby Union 1906
Partridge also had the distinction of playing for the famed invitational side, The Barbarians. He had the honour of being chosen to play in their first international match. Captained by

Edgar Mobbs Edgar Roberts Mobbs (1882–1917) was an English rugby union footballer who played for and captained Northampton R.F.C. and England. He played as a three quarter. Mobbs is commemorated in the Ella-Mobbs Trophy, first competed for by the Austr ...

, the match was played to raise funds for the war effort. Ironically, the match was played against Wales which meant that Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge's only appearance in a Welsh international fixture was as a member of the opposition.

Formation of the Army Rugby Union

The idea of forming the

, came to him whilst he was reading a newspaper on a train during a tour of Scotland with Blackheath RFC in the season 1905–06. He proposed his idea to his two travelling companions and teammates, Lieutenant WSD Craven of the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

and Lieutenant CG Liddell (who later become General Sir Clive Liddell) of the

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

. Having their support, a meeting was held on 12 November 1906 at which it was decided to form an Army Rugby Union (ARU). Captain REG Waymouth, having been appointed Honorary Secretary, duly wrote to the Army Council to obtain sanction for its formation and on 31 December 1906 sanction was granted.

International matches played

*for South Africa ** Great Britain, Johannesburg, 26 August 1903. Draw (South Africa (10) 10 - 10 (5) Great Britain) *for Barbarians ** , Cardiff Arms Park on 17 April 1915. Barbarians won 26 - 10

Later life

After his retirement he remained in

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...

where he lived until his death in 1965 at the age of 86. His South Africa rugby cap was presented to the Regimental Museum in Cardiff.

Personal life

Major Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge married Christine Mary Phillips of the famous brewing family Phillips & Sons Brewery.Brew. Hist., 111, pp. 37-63
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, Joseph 1879 births 1965 deaths Barbarian F.C. players Blackheath F.C. players British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Newport RFC players People educated at Dulwich College Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Abergavenny South Africa international rugby union players South African rugby union players Welch Regiment officers Welsh rugby union players