Capt. Henry Bayard Rich (14 June 1849 – 17 November 1884) was a British soldier, who played for the Royal Engineers in the

1872 FA Cup Final The 1872 FA Cup Final was a football match between Wanderers and Royal Engineers on 16 March 1872 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the final of the first staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup (known in the modern era as the FA C ...

. As a soldier, he saw

active service Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

in three campaigns: the Perak Expedition of 1875–76, the

Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

of 1879 and the Egyptian Expedition of 1882. He was killed in an accident while playing polo.

Family and early life

Rich was born in Berbice, British Guiana, the first child of Col. Frederick Henry Rich (1824–1904) and his wife Elizabeth née Bayard (1826–1885). His father became a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the Royal Engineers and was the Chief Inspecting Officer of the Railway Inspectorate between 1885 and 1889. His mother was the daughter of Richard Henry Bayard, US Senator and Chief Justice of Delaware. Rich was educated at Marlborough College between April 1864 and Christmas 1866. He was then trained at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich between 1867 and 1870.

Football career

Rich played football for Marlborough College and RMA, Woolwich before joining the Royal Engineers. He generally played as a forward and was "ranked as one of the best football players of his day" who "strove hard to pass the backs". In November 1871, the Royal Engineers were among fifteen teams who entered the inaugural FA Cup competition; after victories over Hitchin (5–0), Hampstead Heathens (3–0) and

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

(3–0 after a replay), the Engineers met Wanderers, the top amateur club of the day, in the first FA Cup Final, played at

Kennington 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 ...

on 16 March 1872, which the Engineers lost 1–0, to a goal from

Morton Betts Morton Peto Betts (30 August 1847 – 19 April 1914)
England Football Online. Retrieved 2018-09-15. ...

. As well as being a footballer, Rich was an athlete who was reputed to be "one of the fastest runners on the athletic track" during his cadetship and later became one of the best horse riders in the Royal Engineers.

Military career

Rich graduated from RMA Woolwich and joined the Royal Engineers as a

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 ...

on 8 January 1870. Fellow graduates on the same day were two of his fellow FA Cup finalists, Hugh Mitchell and

Edmund Creswell Col. Edmund William Creswell (7 November 1849 – 1 May 1931) was a British soldier, who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 FA Cup Final. As a soldier, he was engaged mainly in administrative work and never saw active service. Family a ...

. Rich was promoted to Captain twelve years later. He was based at Chatham until July 1872, before spending eight months at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

. In April 1873, he was posted to Hong Kong until December 1875 when he was sent to Perak as part of a force sent to end local resistance following the murder of the British administrator

James W.W. Birch James Wheeler Woodford Birch, commonly known as J. W. W. Birch (3 April 1826 – 2 November 1875) was a British colonial official who was assassinated in the Malay state of Perak in 1875, an event that led to the outbreak of the Perak War and ...

in November 1875. He was mentioned in dispatches by Col. J. Y. Moggridge and awarded the Indian Medal with clasp for the Perak Expedition. Rich returned to Hong Kong in March 1876 and then back to Aldershot in August. In April 1879, he was posted to South Africa where he served in the

with the Telegraph Troop in charge of the signallers with the First Division, for which he received the South Africa Medal with 1879 clasp. In January 1880, he returned to England, serving at Chatham,

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

(Ireland) and at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

. He returned to

when he was sent to Egypt in September 1882 as part of the Egyptian Expedition to put down a nationalist uprising against the Khedive

Tewfik Pasha Mohamed Tewfik Pasha ( ar, محمد توفيق باشا ''Muḥammad Tawfīq Bāshā''; April 30 or 15 November 1852 – 7 January 1892), also known as Tawfiq of Egypt, was khedive of Egypt and the Sudan between 1879 and 1892 and the sixth rule ...

, where he was employed with the "A" troop under Sir

Garnet Wolseley Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, (4 June 183325 March 1913), was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He became one of the most influential and admired British generals after a series of successes in Canada, W ...

. Rich was awarded the

Egypt Medal The Egypt Medal (1882–1889) was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army and Royal Navy during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and in the Sudan between 1884 and 1889. Resentment at increasing British and other European involve ...

with a bronze star given by the Khedive. In October 1882, he returned to Aldershot before being posted to India in September 1883.

Marriage

Rich married Ada Melvill Simons (1859–1915) at

Sydenham Hill Sydenham Hill forms part of a longer ridge and is an affluent locality in southeast London. It is also the name of a road which runs along the northeastern part of the ridge, demarcating the London Boroughs of Southwark, Bromley, and Lewisham ...

, London on 3 May 1881. The couple had no children. Following Rich's death, his widow remarried, to Major Francis Slater Picot (1859–1939), of the

Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. The ...

. Their son, Capt. Philip Simons Picot served with the

Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

and was killed at Gallipoli on 11 July 1915.

Death

Rich was killed at Rawalpindi on 17 November 1884, aged 35, as the result of an accident while playing polo. He and another officer collided violently and Rich was flung to the ground, suffering a fractured skull.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Henry Bayard 1849 births 1884 deaths Association football forwards British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British military personnel of the Perak War British polo players English footballers FA Cup Final players Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Guyanese emigrants to the United Kingdom People educated at Marlborough College Polo deaths Royal Engineers A.F.C. players Royal Engineers officers