Fred Leonard Perrett (9 May 1891 – 1 December 1918) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

prop who played club rugby for

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historica ...

. He won five caps for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and in his first international game faced the touring

South Africans The population of South Africa is about 58.8 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032. In 2011, Statistics Sout ...

Rugby career

Perrett originally played rugby for his local club

Briton Ferry Briton Ferry ( cy, Llansawel) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, ''llan'', is protected from the wind, ''awel''. Alternatively, ''Sawel'' may be a derivative ...

before eventually playing for Neath. While a member of Neath he earned his first Welsh cap against the touring South Africa team. Wales ran the South Africans close, but lost to a single penalty kick. Perrett was reselected for Wales in the

1913 Five Nations Championship The 1913 Five Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-firs ...

, one of only two Welsh players to appear in all four matches of the campaign; the other being Neath teammate

Glyn Stephens David Hopkin "Glyn" Stephens (19 September 1891 – 22 April 1965) was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Neath RFC, Neath. He won 10 caps for Wales national rugby union team, Wales and captained his country. He was ...

. The two complemented each other well, especially during line outs.Griffiths (1987), pg 4:16. The Welsh team lost the first game against England, but won the final three games to finish second. Perrett may have been selected for further Wales matches, but turned professional at the end of the 1912/13 season, joining

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

team

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

, making his début on 6 September 1913, he later joined

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and wer ...

Perrett's league career was cut short by the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He joined the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

, and served in France from 19 February 1916.Medal card of Perrett, Fred Leonard
''DocumentsOnline'',

The National Archives National archives are central archive, archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by government ...

(fee may be payable to view full original pdf of medal card). Retrieved 10 November 2008. He was subsequently commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

, and transferred to the 17th Battalion of the

Royal Welsh Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...

with seniority from 27 June 1917.Casualty details—Perrett, Fred Leonard

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...

. Retrieved 10 November 2008. He was seriously injured and died of his wounds in a casualty clearing station almost a month after the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

. He is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery at

Wimille Wimille is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Wimille is a farming and light industrial town situated some north of Boulogne, at the junction of the D233 and the D237 roads, on the ba ...

in France. Perrett is often left out of lists of the Welsh international war dead due to his supposed defection to the professional game.Rugby Heroes who went to War

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the childr ...

Matthew Ferris, November 2008

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 470. * 1913 * 1913 * 1913 * 1913 * 1912

Bibliography

* * * *

References

External links

Neath RFC Remembers - First World WarNeath Rugby Remembers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perrett, Fred 1891 births 1918 deaths Aberavon RFC players British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I Hull F.C. players Leeds Rhinos players Neath RFC players Royal Welch Fusiliers officers Rugby league players from Briton Ferry Rugby union players from Briton Ferry Rugby union props Wales international rugby union players Welsh Guards soldiers Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players