The Final Whistle
The Great War in Fifteen Players
Published on 1. August 2012
288 pages
978-0-7524-8124-1 (ISBN)
Description
WINNER OF THE BRITISH SPORT BOOK AWARDS - RUGBY BOOK OF THE YEAR
This is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war. They came from Britain and the Empire to fight in every theatre and service, among them a poet, playwright and perfumer. Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their stories paint a portrait in miniature of the entire War.
The Final Whistle plays tribute to the pivotal role rugby played in the Great War by following the poignant stories of fifteen men who played for Rosslyn Park, London. They came from diverse backgrounds, with players from Australia, Ceylon, Wales and South Africa, but they were united by their love of the game and their courage in the face of war. From the mystery of a missing memorial, Cooper's meticulous research has uncovered the story of these men and captured their lives, from their vanished Edwardian youth and vigour, to the war they fought and how they died.
This is the story of 15 men killed in the Great War. All played rugby for one London club; none lived to hear the final whistle. Rugby brought them together; rugby led the rush to war. They came from Britain and the Empire to fight in every theatre and service, among them a poet, playwright and perfumer. Some were decorated and died heroically; others fought and fell quietly. Together their stories paint a portrait in miniature of the entire War.
The Final Whistle plays tribute to the pivotal role rugby played in the Great War by following the poignant stories of fifteen men who played for Rosslyn Park, London. They came from diverse backgrounds, with players from Australia, Ceylon, Wales and South Africa, but they were united by their love of the game and their courage in the face of war. From the mystery of a missing memorial, Cooper's meticulous research has uncovered the story of these men and captured their lives, from their vanished Edwardian youth and vigour, to the war they fought and how they died.
Reviews / Votes
'A fresh and fascinating take on the impact of the Great War with a novel and moving focus.' -- Ian Hislop 'Stephen Cooper has written a haunting and beautiful book, [he] tells the story of men from one rugby club but it is a universal narrative of heroism and loss. He writes superbly and has produced a book of commendable scholarship. I cannot recommend it enough.' -- Fergal Keane 'a deeply moving book about the loss of fifteen members of Rosslyn Park Rugby Club during the Great War. A War that scarred Britain and took so many fine men, who had they lived would have enriched this country. The lives of these young men, all so promising, are poignantly and vividly recalled.' -- Max ArthurMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
File size
4,37 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-7524-8124-1 (9780752481241)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
05/2013
The History Press Ltd
€16.50
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Book
08/2012
The History Press Ltd
€38.56
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Persons
Award-winning author STEPHEN COOPER was born in Birmingham, England. After Cambridge University, he was a MadMan in New York, London and Toronto; he first began writing as a travel journalist. His grandfather fought at the Somme, but refused to tell the tale and so inspired a lifelong fascination for The Great War. After playing and coaching rugby for longer than he can remember, his first book therefore combined two of his many passions.
Praised by commentators as diverse as Fergal Keane, Sir Anthony Seldon and Jason Leonard, it won Rugby Book of the Year at the 2013 Times British Sports Book Awards, featured in BBC TV's World War One At Home and has been optioned for West End theatre. A regular speaker, Stephen lives in Suffolk. A second book was published in August 2015: After The Final Whistle: The First Rugby World Cup and the First World War. He is now at work on a first novel, Pear-shaped.
Praised by commentators as diverse as Fergal Keane, Sir Anthony Seldon and Jason Leonard, it won Rugby Book of the Year at the 2013 Times British Sports Book Awards, featured in BBC TV's World War One At Home and has been optioned for West End theatre. A regular speaker, Stephen lives in Suffolk. A second book was published in August 2015: After The Final Whistle: The First Rugby World Cup and the First World War. He is now at work on a first novel, Pear-shaped.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Epigraph
- Foreword by Bill Beaumont CBE DL
- Acknowledgements
- The First Blow
- The Final Whistle
- The Boys Who Won the War
- 1 Charles George Gordon Bayly: The First of the Gang
- 2 Guy du Maurier: The Accidental Playwright
- 3 Alec Todd: Lions led by a Lion
- 4 Eric Fairbairn: Body between your Knees
- 5 Nowell Oxland: A Green Hill Far Away
- 6 Jimmy Dingle: 'A Gentleman, who made us Tea'
- 7 Syd Burdekin: From the Uttermost Ends of the Earth
- 8 Guy Pinfield: An Irish Tragedy
- 9 John Bodenham: 'Your Affectionate son Jack'
- 10 Wilfred Jesson: 'Bowled out, middle peg'
- 11 John Augustus Harman: The Man Who Hunted Zeppelins
- 12 Denis Monaghan & J.J. Conilh de Beyssac: Tin Can Allies
- 13 Robert Dale: 'They go Down, Tiddly, Down, Down'
- 14 Arthur Harrison: Close the Wall up with our English Dead
- 15 Charles Button: The Thin Red Stripe
- The Game that Won the War
- Rosslyn Park Great War Roll of Honour
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Plate Section
- Copyright
