The Dukes and Rugby - History of Rugby Within the Regiment

By the second half of the 19th Century over 50 % of the rugby clubs in England were in the north of the country; the game being very popular with the working classes. This tradition was continued with the break-away and formation of the Rugby League in 1895. With our recruiting tradition in the West Riding and the establishment of the Depot in Halifax in 1877, it was not long before the Regiment’s reputation of playing rugby began, with both the 1st & 2nd Battalions gaining early honours.

With our recruiting tradition already in the West Riding and the establishment of the Depot in Halifax in 1877 it was not long before the Regiments tradition of playing rugby began, with the 2nd battalion gaining early honours. This reputation and strength was (and till is) constantly enhanced by the recruitment of officers with a flair for rugby.

In those far off days of Rugby League, the thirteen-a-side game was played by all the elementary schools of Yorkshire, and thus the depot recruited a steady stream of recruits who played rugby. Because of this Rugby ability the 2nd Battalion became the initiator of serious Regimental Rugby.

The Regiment went on to cement its soldiering and rugby prowess in South Africa and India.

In India between 1904 and 1914, the 1st Battalion won the Calcutta Cup nine times, the Madras Cup seven times and the Bombay Cup six times. The 2nd Battalion won the first ever newly instituted Army Challenge Cup in 1907. Since then the Regiment has won the Army Cup 14 times and have been runners up a total of eight times. In the Regiments heyday it won the Army Cup four years in a row, 1965 – 68. However, the Cup has eluded us since 1981 and it is time for the first ever holders to regain the title.

To celebrate the Regiments Tercentenary in 2002 the Dukes took 30 players to New Zealand for a six-week tour playing both New Zealand Military and Club sides.

A further international tour is planned in 2006.

Rugby Individual Honours

Lt (Horsey) Brown
Army & Ireland (12 Caps)
1925-1928

Capt Mike Campbell-Lamerton
Army, London Scottish,
Scotland (23 Caps)
British Lions in South Africa 1962
Captain of British Lions in
Australia & New Zealand 1966

Lt Grieve
Army, Scotland & British Lions in South Africa in 1938

Since the early days the Regiment has produced an impressive eleven international players, 7 English, 1 Irish and 3 Scottish. CF Grieve and FJ Reynolds toured South Africa in 1938 with the British Lions. Yet our most successful player was MJ Campbell-Lamerton who toured with the Lions to South Africa in 1962 and Captained the Lions in Australia and New Zealand in 1966.

Furthermore, at one point the England half back pairing was a Dukes partnership, with DW Shuttleworth and EMP Hardy providing vital continuity to both England and the Battalion in the early fifties.

Brigadier DW Shuttleworth became President of the Rugby Football Union in the 1985/86 season.

Lt Reynolds
Army, England & British Lions in 1938


Cpl's Waquabaca & Ponijiasi Fijian stars 1960-70	Lt's Hardy & Shuttleworth Army, Combined Services, Headingly, Yorkshire & England	Cpl's Heywood, Fields & Scroby National Servicemen Rugby League Stars

Army Caps

The Dukes have produced over 50 players that have been capped for the Army against the Navy and the Air Force since 1914. Currently the Regiment has four members of the Army Squad and Ed Smith and Finlay Bibby are part of the Combined Services Squad.

The Teams


The 2nd Battalion 1906/07 Team, Captained by Capt Denton Winners of the 1st Army Cup Match Score = 2DWR (5) - Trg Batt RE (0)	The 1st Battalion 1931/32 Team Captained by Lt Miles Winners of the Army Cup Score = 1DWR (21) - Trg Regt RE (0)

1DWR Team 1957/59 Captained by Capt Gilbert Smith The Regiment v Ulster Score = 1DWR (19) - Ulster (8)	1DWR Team 1967 Captained by Capt Reid Winners of the Army Cup Score = 1DWR (14) - 7RHA (3)

The Battalion's Northern Ireland Tour of 1957-59 saw the Battalion play Club Rugby across Northern Ireland. As the tour drew to an end Ulster honoured the Regiment by playing the Battalion at Ravenhill. The team Captained by Capt Gilbert-Smith, produced an outstanding performance resulting in the Battalion taking a well deserved victory with a score of 19 to Ulster's 8.

Cpl Field Scoring a Try in the 1959 Match against Ulster

Whilst stationed at Osnabruck, West Germany, from 1965 to 1968, the Battalion had four consecutive victories in the Army Cup.

1DWR Team 1998/99, Captained by Lt McCormack, were narrowly beaten in the Cup Final, at Aldershot, by the 7th Royal Horse Artillery, with a final score of:-

1DWR (15) - 7RHA (20).

In 1960, Whilst undertaking an emergency posting to Kenya the Battalion was invited to play the Kenyan Champions, This led to a problem in that they, due to the nature of the posting, had no team strip to wear. However one was quickly obtained from the 'Kenya Regiment' and the Match took place in Nakuru. The Battalion upheld the pride of the Regiment by winning the match.

Lt Allen Scoring a Try at Nakuru, Kenya