Charles Taylor (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Engineer Captain
Charles Gerald Taylor LVO
(8 May 1863-24 January 1915) was a Royal Navy
officer and Wales
international rugby union
player who played club rugby for Blackheath. He was the first Welsh international to be killed in action during World War I. Taylor was an all-round athlete, and at one time was the Welsh pole vault champion.
, Wales
on 8 May 1863, Taylor joined the Royal Navy on 1 July 1885, when he was rated an acting assistant engineer. Following his initial training he was confirmed in the rank on 1 July 1886. He was promoted to engineer on 1 September 1890, and chief engineer on 30 December 1900. He became an engineer lieutenant
on 26 March 1903, and on 30 December 1904 was promoted to engineer commander
. On 3 February 1911 King George V
appointed him a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order
On 7 February 1912 he was promoted to engineer captain
.
Much of Taylor's career was spent at training or other shore establishments. However, shortly after the outbreak of World War I he was posted to the battlecruiser
HMS Queen Mary
, on 16 September 1914. On 20 November he was transferred to HMS Tiger
. On 24 January 1915, Tiger was one of the vessels engaged in the Battle of Dogger Bank
. HMS Tiger was struck by fire from the German cruiser SMS Blücher
, and Taylor died during the engagement. Taylor was not buried at sea, and his body was returned to Britain to be buried at Tavistock New Cemetery in Devon
.
against England in 1884 under the captaincy of Charlie Newman
in the Home Nations Championship
. Wales lost the game but Taylor would play in the remaining two games of the campaign against Scotland and Ireland. In 1884 Taylor was reselected for Wales, in a team that would host several past and future captains, including Arthur Gould, Tom Clapp
, Frank Hancock
and Newman. In the 1885 Championship
Taylor made his first international score when he converted William Stadden
's try
, though as no points were given to conversions at the time he is recorded with no career score.
In 1885, Taylor was spending much of his time in London, and when a group of Welshmen came together to form a club for London 'exiles', Taylor was among them. The club formed in June 1885, and Taylor became an committee member at the first meeting and then on the 21 October became a member of the very first London Welsh team. London Welsh would become a prominent club providing many Welsh internationals, the very first team containin six internationals; Taylor, Arthur Gould, Martyn Jordan
, Thomas Judson
, T. Williams
and Rowley Thomas
.
In 1886, Taylor was part of Frank Hancock's team that experimented with the four threequarter system for the first time in an international match. It was an unsuccessful experiment and was abandoned during the match. Taylor's final game for Wales was in 1887 against Ireland in a win at Birkenhead.
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Charles Gerald Taylor LVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(8 May 1863-24 January 1915) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who played club rugby for Blackheath. He was the first Welsh international to be killed in action during World War I. Taylor was an all-round athlete, and at one time was the Welsh pole vault champion.
Military career
Born in RuabonRuabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on 8 May 1863, Taylor joined the Royal Navy on 1 July 1885, when he was rated an acting assistant engineer. Following his initial training he was confirmed in the rank on 1 July 1886. He was promoted to engineer on 1 September 1890, and chief engineer on 30 December 1900. He became an engineer lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 26 March 1903, and on 30 December 1904 was promoted to engineer commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
. On 3 February 1911 King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
appointed him a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
On 7 February 1912 he was promoted to engineer captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
.
Much of Taylor's career was spent at training or other shore establishments. However, shortly after the outbreak of World War I he was posted to the battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
HMS Queen Mary
HMS Queen Mary
HMS Queen Mary was a battlecruiser built by the British Royal Navy before World War I, the sole member of her class. She was similar to the s, though she differed in details from her half-sisters. She was the last battlecruiser completed before the war and participated in the Battle of Heligoland...
, on 16 September 1914. On 20 November he was transferred to HMS Tiger
HMS Tiger (1913)
The 11th HMS Tiger was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in 1913. Tiger was the most heavily armoured battlecruiser of the Royal Navy at the start of the First World War although she was still being finished when the war began...
. On 24 January 1915, Tiger was one of the vessels engaged in the Battle of Dogger Bank
Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)
The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval battle fought near the Dogger Bank in the North Sea on 24 January 1915, during the First World War, between squadrons of the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet....
. HMS Tiger was struck by fire from the German cruiser SMS Blücher
SMS Blücher
SMS Blücher was the last armored cruiser to be built by the German Imperial Navy . She was designed to match what German intelligence incorrectly believed to be the specifications of the British s...
, and Taylor died during the engagement. Taylor was not buried at sea, and his body was returned to Britain to be buried at Tavistock New Cemetery in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Rugby career
Taylor made his debut for WalesWales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
against England in 1884 under the captaincy of Charlie Newman
Charlie Newman
Charlie Newman was a Welsh international three-quarter who played club rugby for Newport. He was awarded ten caps for Wales and captained the team on six occasions. An original member of the Newport squad he captained the team in the 1882/83 season.-Personal life:Newman was born Newport in 1857 to...
in the Home Nations Championship
1884 Home Nations Championship
The 1884 Home Nations Championship was the second series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 5 January and 12 April 1884...
. Wales lost the game but Taylor would play in the remaining two games of the campaign against Scotland and Ireland. In 1884 Taylor was reselected for Wales, in a team that would host several past and future captains, including Arthur Gould, Tom Clapp
Tom Clapp
Tom Clapp was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Nantyglo RFC. He won 14 caps for Wales and captained the team on three occasions...
, Frank Hancock
Frank Hancock
Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth threequarter player, which changed the formation of rugby union play that lasts to the...
and Newman. In the 1885 Championship
1885 Home Nations Championship
The 1885 Home Nations Championship was the third series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 3 January and 21 February 1885. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales...
Taylor made his first international score when he converted William Stadden
William Stadden
William James Wood "Buller" Stadden was a Welsh international rugby union half back who played club rugby for Cardiff and Dewsbury. Stadden won eight caps for Wales over a period of seven years and is most remembered for scoring the winning try in 1890 to give Wales their first victory over England...
's try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
, though as no points were given to conversions at the time he is recorded with no career score.
In 1885, Taylor was spending much of his time in London, and when a group of Welshmen came together to form a club for London 'exiles', Taylor was among them. The club formed in June 1885, and Taylor became an committee member at the first meeting and then on the 21 October became a member of the very first London Welsh team. London Welsh would become a prominent club providing many Welsh internationals, the very first team containin six internationals; Taylor, Arthur Gould, Martyn Jordan
Martyn Jordan
Martyn Jordan was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for London Welsh and Newport and international rugby for Wales...
, Thomas Judson
Thomas Judson
Thomas Haigh Judson was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...
, T. Williams
T. Williams
T. Williams was a rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and London Welsh and played international rugby for Wales. Very little is known of Williams and he is often confused with his contemporary Tom Williams who also played for Wales around the same period, and who also had...
and Rowley Thomas
Rowley Thomas
Rowland 'Rowley' Lewis Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for London Welsh, of whom he was a founding member, and county rugby for Middlesex...
.
In 1886, Taylor was part of Frank Hancock's team that experimented with the four threequarter system for the first time in an international match. It was an unsuccessful experiment and was abandoned during the match. Taylor's final game for Wales was in 1887 against Ireland in a win at Birkenhead.