William Cecil Welsh Rawlinson (17 December 1855 – 14 February 1898) was an English rugby union international who represented the England national team in 1876. He later pursued a career in the British Army, reaching the rank of major in the Lincolnshire Regiment.
Early life and education
Rawlinson was born on 17 December 1855 at Chedburgh, Suffolk.UK, British Army Records and Lists, 1882–1962, Official Army List, January 1892 (The National Archives, Kew). He was the eldest surviving son of the Reverend William Chapman Rawlinson, formerly Rector of Chedburgh.Bury Free Press, 19 February 1898.
He was educated at Clifton College in Bristol.The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 2544; Folio: 82; Page: 47; GSU roll: 835258. He played cricket for the school.Western Daily Press, 20 June 1874. In August 1877 he was listed among the successful candidates for the Royal Military College, placed tenth in order of merit with 4,917 marks.The Broad Arrow, 25 August 1877, p. 253.
Rugby career
A forward, Rawlinson played for Blackheath F.C. during the formative years of English rugby. He won his only international cap for England against Scotland at The Oval on 6 March 1876, in one of the earliest fixtures in the history of international rugby union.Match report, England v. Scotland, 6 March 1876, p. 154.
Military career
Rawlinson entered the British Army in 1878, receiving his lieutenant's commission the same year.Public Opinion, 18 February 1898, p. 214. He trained at the Royal Military College and later served with the 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1885.Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 4 October 1894.
In 1888 he served during the Sikkim Expedition and received the India General Service Medal with clasp “Sikkim 1888”.India General Service Medal Roll, Sikkim 1888 clasp entry. The following year he was serving as aide-de-camp on the personal staff of the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal.Allen’s Indian Mail, 18 February 1889, p. 13.
In 1894 he was appointed temporary Instructor in Fortification at the Royal Military College and later Instructor in Tactics.Lincolnshire Chronicle, 27 February 1894, p. 2.Reading Mercury, 10 March 1894, p. 4. He was promoted to major in 1896Naval & Military Record and Royal Dockyards Gazette, 24 February 1898. and retired from the service in October 1897, receiving a gratuity.Army and Navy Gazette, 9 October 1897.
Death
Rawlinson died at St Andrew's Hospital, Northampton, on 14 February 1898, aged 42. Administration of his estate was granted in London later that year.Principal Probate Registry (London), Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration, 1898.
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