Charles William Sherrard, RE (25 December 1848 – 1938) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and rugby union international who represented

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

from 1871 to 1872. Additionally, along with Lieutenant Charles Arthur Crompton RE, he was the first member of the armed forces to represent their national side.

Early life

Charles Sherrard was born on 25 December 1848 in London, the son of James Corry Sherrard, Esq. of

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...

. He attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

, and was a member of Hutchinson House, leaving in 1865.

Rugby union career

Sherrard played for Blackheath F.C., an open membership club originally set up for the old boys of

Blackheath Proprietary School The Blackheath Proprietary School was an educational establishment founded in 1830. In the 19th century, it had a profound influence on the game of football, in both Association and Rugby codes. In 1863, the school became one of the founders of T ...

, which by the time Sherrard was playing was dominated by old boys from

, amongst whom was counted Sherrard himself. He was selected for the very first international in 1871, alongside his club captain Frederick Stokes and fellow Royal Engineer Charles Crompton. He made his international debut on 27 March 1871 at

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

in the

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

match. Scotland won that match but Sherrard was also involved in the return match on 5 February 1872 at

The Oval The Oval, currently named 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 sinc ...

which England won.

Army service

Sherrard was gazetted as lieutenant to the Royal Engineers in 1870 rising to the rank of captain in 1882, through to major in 1888, lieutenant-colonel in 1895 and finally colonel by 1899. He also served as the Instructor in Fortifications, at the Royal School of Military Engineering, in Chatham from 1882 to 1888. He served in the

South African War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, in 1879 and was decorated with the Medal with Clasp for that campaign. In 1901 he was commanding the Chatham Sub-District and was a member of the United Service Club.Rugby School; Michell, Arthur Tompson, 1853–1923, ''RUGBY SCHOOL REGISTER. VOLUME II – FROM AUGUST, 1842, TO JANUARY, 1874.'' After a period on half-pay, he retired from the army on 16 July 1902.

Family and later life

Sherrard married Clara Maud Brooke, with whom he had six children. Clara died in 1919. He married Elizabeth Ballantyne in 1922, at the age of 73. He died in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...

(

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

), aged 89, in 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrard, Charles 1848 births 1938 deaths English rugby union players England international rugby union players Rugby union forwards Army rugby union players Blackheath F.C. players Royal Engineers officers People educated at Rugby School Rugby union players from London