Robert Thompson (11 January 1869 – 5 February 1952) was an Irish

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 ...

forward who was a member of the British Isles XV that toured South Africa in 1891. Thompson fought for the

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 ...

during the

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

as a captain in the Royal Irish Regiment

Personal history

Thompson was born at Muckamore Abbey, Muckamore in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, to Samuel Thompson, who was originally from Cheltenham. Thompson was educated

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and, later, at

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent School Day and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Huggett ...

; he was later accepted into

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

in 1888. Thompson gained his Bachelor of Arts in 1891. He married Margaretta Louise Trench on 24 January 1911. During the First World War he became a captain in the 11th Royal Irish Regiment and 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 ...

. Thompson became a Justice of the Peace in County Antrim, and died in 1952.

Rugby career

Thompson came to note as a rugby player when he represented

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, gaining a sporting 'Blue' in

The Varsity Match The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford University RFC, Oxford and Cambridge University R.U.F.C., Cambridge in England. The event began in 1872 with the first men's match, with interruptions ...

of 1890. After completing his university education he was invited to join the British Isles team on its tour of South Africa. Thompson was a constant member of the British Isles team, missing just a single game of the tour. He played in 16 of the 17 regional teams scoring seven tries in these encounters, his best result being two tries in the victory over Eastern Province on 28 July.Robert Thompson player profile
Lionsrugby.com Thompson played in all three Tests against the South African team, all of which the British team won.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Robert 1869 births 1952 deaths Rugby union players from County Antrim Irish rugby union players Rugby union forwards British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge People educated at Cheltenham College British Army personnel of World War I Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) officers Rugby union players from Gloucestershire People educated at King William's College