Sport and war was inextricably intertwined in the years leading up to the First World War, as training for play was seen as ‘training for war’. Many members of the Rugby Union formed the officer class of the Great War, their training, dedication and team spirit helping them lead men into battle. The Final Whistle plays tribute to the role rugby played during the First World War by following the poignant stories of fifteen men who played for Rosslyn Park, based just outside of Richmond Park, London. These men came from diverse backgrounds, with players from Australia, Ceylon, Columbia, Ireland and South Africa, but they were joined together in their love of the game and in the courage in the face of war. Their stories take us from London to the Western Front, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Italy and Dublin. They took part in some of the most famous engagements of the war and many were honoured for their bravery on the battlefield. This is the first time their story has been told in full through personal diaries, letters and previously unpublished photographs. It is a must-read for any rugby enthusiast or First World War historian.

Author Biography

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.

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