From The Vaults

Ronnie Poulton made his debut for England in 1909 at the age of just 19. To describe his rise to the international ranks as meteoric would be an understatement. He had failed to make Oxford University's Varsity side the previous year and was a full international before he was a full blue. Following the same path as his mentor Adrian Stoop, he was fast tracked from Harlequins to England, where he would feature for six consecutive seasons.

Making up for his earlier omission, he would score an unprecedented five tries for Oxford in the 1909 Varsity Match, a record that still stands to this day. By 1910, Poulton was a well-known presence, occasionally on the wing but more often at outside centre, where his pace, swerve and skillful hands made him both the creator and scorer of spectacular tries.

By 1913, Poulton was a key player in the side that secured England's first Grand Slam and the following year, he was installed as captain. Continuing their impressive run of form England extended their winning streak to seven games, leaving them requiring a win in Paris to secure a first ever consecutive Grand Slam.

Before the match, Poulton had announced that the match would be his last. Having inherited industrial interests that would require him to officially change his name to Ronald Palmer, he intended to focus on that after the completion of the season.

He had, however, saved his best for last. Scoring four of England's nine tries, he helped England to an emphatic 39-13 victory over France and confirmed his status as one of the most gifted and accomplished rugby players of his generation.

Unfortunately the glow of success was to be quickly overshadowed. By the end of the summer Britain was at War and Ronnie along with all of his England teammates were in the process of enlistment. Poulton, for his part, had been a member of the Territorial Army since 1912, yet in letters to his sister decried the folly of civilized nations bearing arms against each other.

In 1915 he boarded the same ferry that had taken him across the Channel to play France a year earlier. This time he was in uniform, sporting the required military moustache as a lieutenant with the Royal Berkshire Regiment. By May of 1915, he was performing trench works on the Western Front close to Ploegsteert Wood.

Ronnie's involvement in the First World War was short. He was shot and killed by a nighttime sniper on 5th May 1915. Amongst his last words were the lament that he 'would never play at Twickenham again'. Popular with his men, they are said to have openly wept the following morning at the dawn 'stand to'. Similar grief was felt when the news was received back in England. Acclaimed sportswriter AA Thomson described Ronnie thus:

'A beautiful player, a character of the highest integrity, one of the loveliest and the best. With his fair and fleet limbs, he might have stood as a symbol at the heart of England, of Rupert Brooke's (lost) generation, of the golden young men who died faithfully and fearlessly in a war where much that was of value beyond price in an imperfect world perished, too.'

Earlier this year, his mess dress uniform and sword were given to the World Rugby Museum by his family. The jacket and sword are now on display in the Wartime gallery that commemorates the service and sacrifice of rugby playing members of the armed forces around the world.

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