Jasper Thomas Brett (8 August 1895 – 4 February 1917) was an Irish rugby international and a solicitor's apprentice. He won one cap against

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

in 1914 and is currently the 10th youngest international rugby player for Ireland. He served during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in the

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 ...

as Second Lieutenant in the 10th Company of the 7th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. He was one of the few survivors of that company's gruesome slaughter at Gallipoli, followed by posting to the horrors of Salonika. He there developed shell shock, suffering gastritis, monomania, melancholia and confusional insanity and was transferred to a military psychiatric hospital. He took his own life at Dalkey, Dublin, on 4 February 1917, aged 22, two days before he was due to return to the frontline, by placing his head on the railway line in the Dalkey tunnel and being decapitated by a train.Civil Records https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/agreement.jsp He was buried at Dean's Grange Cemetery.
CWGC Casualty Record.

References

Jasper Brett
at Scrum.com
IRFU Profile
* 1895 births 1917 suicides British military personnel who died by suicide British Army personnel of World War I Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Monkstown Football Club players Royal Dublin Fusiliers officers Suicides by firearm in Ireland People with post-traumatic stress disorder 1917 deaths British military personnel killed in World War I Rugby union wings Irish disabled sportspeople {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub Military personnel from County Dublin Burials in Dublin (county)

See also

References