"One of the first things I come to see in the World Rugby Museum
is the Lest We Forget section [Wartime gallery]. This commemorates
not only England internationals, but all serving rugby players,
internationals, and club players that served and lost their life
during the Great War."
"I had the pleasure of being the 2014 to 2018 Commemorative
Ambassador for the RFU and got to visit all 27 First World War
graves. 22 of them in France and Belgium. This is a place that
connected me to the jersey in a really important way, because it
reminded me that it was not only about putting on the jersey and
winning the match on that day, it was about representing everyone
that had gone before us."
When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, the call to arms
was met by rugby players around the world. Many international and
club rugby players enlisted voluntarily within days or weeks of the
declaration.
The museum's Wartime gallery showcases the unique bond between
rugby and the armed forces, with fascinating objects including
Adrian Stoop's WWI campaign medals, Ronnie Poulton's Berkshire
Regimental Insignia, and Owen Farrell's jersey from the 2018
England v New Zealand match, which commemorated 100 years since
Armistice Day.