Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge

Rugby career After leaving Dulwich, he went on to play for Newport RFC. and latterly the provincial side, Transvaal, later to be renamed the Golden Lions. He even represented South Africa after the war in 1903 in one of the three tests against a touring British XV,

Partridge also had the distinction of playing for the famed invitational side, The Barbarians. He had the honour of being chosen to play in their first international match. Captained by Edgar Mobbs, the match was played to raise funds for the war effort. Ironically, the match was played against Wales which meant that Joseph Edward Crawshay Partridge's only appearance in a Welsh international fixture was as a member of the opposition.

Formation of the Army Rugby Union The idea of forming the Army Rugby Union, came to him whilst he was reading a newspaper on a train during a tour of Scotland with Blackheath RFC in the season 1905–06. He proposed his idea to his two travelling companions and teammates, Lieutenant WSD Craven of the Royal Field Artillery and Lieutenant CG Liddell (who later become General Sir Clive Liddell) of the Leicestershire Regiment. Having their support, a meeting was held on 12 November 1906 at which it was decided to form an Army Rugby Union (ARU). Captain REG Waymouth, having been appointed Honorary Secretary, duly wrote to the Army Council to obtain sanction for its formation and on 31 December 1906 sanction was granted.

International matches played for South Africa Great Britain, Johannesburg, 26 August 1903. Draw (South Africa (10) 10 - 10 (5) Great Britain) for Barbarians , Cardiff Arms Park on 17 April 1915. Barbarians won 26 - 10