Fred Perrett
Encyclopedia
Fred Leonard Perrett was a Welsh
international rugby union
prop who played club rugby for Neath
. He won five caps for Wales
and in his first international game faced the touring South Africans
.
before eventually playing for Neath. While a member of Neath he earned his first Welsh cap against the touring South Africa
team. Wales ran the South Africans close, but lost to a single penalty kick.
Perrett was reselected for Wales in the 1913 Five Nations Championship
, one of only two Welsh players to appear in all four matches of the campaign; the other being Neath team mate Glyn Stephens
. The two complemented each other well, especially during line outs. The Welsh team lost the first game against England, but won the final three games to finish second. Perrett may have been selected for further Wales matches, but turned professional at the end of the 1912/13 season, joining rugby league
team Leeds
, making his début on 6 September 1913, he later joined Hull.
Perrett's league career was cut short by the outbreak of World War I
. He joined the Welsh Guards
and served in France from 19 February 1916. He was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant
, and transferred to the 17th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers with seniority from 27 June 1917. He was seriously injured and died of his wounds in a casualty clearing station a month after the Armistice
. He is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery at Wimille
in France. Perrett is often left out of lists of the Welsh international war dead due to his supposed defection to the professional game.
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...
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...
prop who played club rugby for Neath
Neath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
. He won five caps for 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...
and in his first international game faced the touring South Africans
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
Rugby career
Perrett originally played rugby for his local club Briton FerryBriton Ferry RFC
Briton Ferry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Briton Ferry, South Wales. Although rugby was played in the area prior to 1888, it wasn't until the merger of several smaller local teams the Briton Ferry RFC was formed. The original team was bolstered by many steel workers...
before eventually playing for Neath. While a member of Neath he earned his first Welsh cap against the touring South Africa
1912-13 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1912–13 South Africa rugby union tour was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
team. Wales ran the South Africans close, but lost to a single penalty kick.
Perrett was reselected for Wales in the 1913 Five Nations Championship
1913 Five Nations Championship
The 1913 Five Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-first series of the annual northern hemisphere rugby...
, one of only two Welsh players to appear in all four matches of the campaign; the other being Neath team mate Glyn Stephens
Glyn Stephens
Glyn Stephens was a Welsh international rugby union prop who played club rugby for Neath. He won 10 caps for Wales and captained his country...
. The two complemented each other well, especially during line outs. The Welsh team lost the first game against England, but won the final three games to finish second. Perrett may have been selected for further Wales matches, but turned professional at the end of the 1912/13 season, joining rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, making his début on 6 September 1913, he later joined Hull.
Perrett's league career was cut short by the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He joined the Welsh Guards
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division.-Creation :The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards, "..though the order...
and served in France from 19 February 1916. He was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
, and transferred to the 17th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers with seniority from 27 June 1917. He was seriously injured and died of his wounds in a casualty clearing station a month after the Armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
. He is buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery at Wimille
Wimille
Wimille is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Wimille is a farming and light industrial town situated some north of Boulogne, at the junction of the D233 and the D237 roads, on the banks of the river Wimereux. The river Slack forms the...
in France. Perrett is often left out of lists of the Welsh international war dead due to his supposed defection to the professional game.