Harry Alexander (rugby union)
Harry Alexander (6 January 1879 – 17 October 1915) was a rugby union international who represented England from 1900 to 1902, and was captain for one match, against Wales.
| Birth name | Harry Alexander | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 6 January 1879 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Birkenhead, Merseyside, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 17 October 1915 (aged 36) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Hulluch, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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| Military career | |||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||
| Service/ | British Army | ||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1915 | ||||||||||||||||
| Rank | 2/Lt | ||||||||||||||||
| Unit | 1 Bn Grenadier Guards | ||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | World War I | ||||||||||||||||
Alexander was born in Cheshire, and after attending Uppingham School, went to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he earned two blues in rugby. While playing for Birkenhead Park after graduating from Oxford, he was selected in 1900 to play for England and earned seven caps over the course of three seasons. In 1902, he authored a book on rugby, How to Play Rugby Football. The Theory and Practice of the Game. Later, he played for Richmond and was captain in his final season, 1905 to 1906.
He was commissioned second lieutenant into the 1st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards in July 1915, and was sent to the Western Front in October, where he participated in the Battle of Loos, and was killed in action, along with some 400 soldiers of his battalion.