Edgar Mobbs
England international rugby union player
title: "Edgar Mobbs" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1882-births", "1917-deaths", "english-rugby-union-players", "england-international-rugby-union-players", "northampton-saints-players", "northamptonshire-regiment-officers", "companions-of-the-distinguished-service-order", "british-military-personnel-killed-in-world-war-i", "british-army-personnel-of-world-war-i", "barbarian-f.c.", "barbarian-f.c.-players", "people-educated-at-bedford-modern-school", "rugby-union-players-from-northampton", "rugby-union-wings", "military-personnel-from-northampton", "world-rugby-hall-of-fame-inductees"] description: "England international rugby union player" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Mobbs" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary England international rugby union player ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rugby biography"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Edgar Mobbs |
| | image | File:Edgar Mobbs.jpg | | birth_name | Edgar Roberts Mobbs | | birth_date | | | birth_place | Northampton, England | | death_date | | | death_place | Pilckem Ridge, Passchendaele salient, Belgium | | position | Wing | | repteam1 | | | repcaps1 | 7 | | reppoints1 | 12 | | repyears1 | 1909–1910 | | clubs1 | Northampton R.F.C. | | clubs2 | Barbarian F.C. | | school | Bedford Modern School | ::
| name = Edgar Mobbs
| image = File:Edgar Mobbs.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Edgar Roberts Mobbs | birth_date = | birth_place = Northampton, England | death_date = | death_place = Pilckem Ridge, Passchendaele salient, Belgium | height = | weight = | position = Wing | repteam1 = | repcaps1 = 7 | reppoints1 = 12 | ru_ntupdate = | repyears1 = 1909–1910 | years1 = | ru_clubupdate = | apps1 = | points1 = | clubs1 = Northampton R.F.C. | clubs2 = Barbarian F.C. | school = Bedford Modern School
Edgar Roberts Mobbs (1882–1917) was an English rugby union footballer who played for and captained Northampton R.F.C. and England. He played as a three quarter. Mobbs is commemorated in the Ella–Mobbs Trophy, first competed for by the Australia and England rugby union teams in the 2022 series.
Life
Edgar Roberts Mobbs was born on 29 June 1882 in Northampton, England, the son of Oliver L. and Elizabeth Anne Mobbs. A brother was Noel Mobbs (1878–1959), founder of Slough Estates. He was educated at Bedford Modern School where the name of a house commemorates him. In August 1909 Mobbs also accepted the role of Captain of the first Northampton Roller Skating Club to become a member of the National Skating Association of Great Britain.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Mobbs_1.jpg" caption="Bust of Mobbs from the Northampton Memorial"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Mobbs_Zillebeke_2023-10-15.jpg" caption="Mobbs Memorial at Zillebeke."] ::
After initially being turned down as too old to join the army in the First World War, Mobbs raised his own "sportsman's" company of 250 sportsmen (also known as Mobbs' Own) for the Northamptonshire Regiment. He rose to command his battalion (7th (Service) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment) with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the 1917 New Year Honours.
Mobbs was killed in action, on 31 July 1917, at Zillebeke, Belgium, during the Third Battle of Ypres, while attacking a machine gun post in Shrewsbury Forest https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasthuisbossen_(Ieper). His body has not been found, so his name is on the Menin Gate memorial. Mobbs is also commemorated with a bust in Northampton. He is also commemorated in the woods around Zillebeke with a cross and a remembrance plate.
In 1921 the first Mobbs' Memorial Match was held between the East Midlands RFU and the Barbarians at Franklin's Gardens. In 2008 the Barbarians played Bedford Blues in the Mobbs Memorial Match at Goldington Road and did so again in 2009. The final Mobbs Match to feature the Barbarians took place in April 2011 against Bedford. The fixture continues to be played with the Army Rugby Union facing Bedford and Northampton Saints in alternate years and the game helps to raise money for youth rugby in the area.
Edgar Mobbs Way, a road in Northampton, close to Franklin's Gardens stadium, is named after him. A band from Northampton have named themselves The Mobbs after Edgar Mobbs.
References
References
- "Edgar Mobbs player profile".
- Williamson, Nathan. (23 June 2022). "Wallabies to play England for new Ella-Mobbs Cup | Latest Rugby News | RUGBY.com.au".
- "Edgar Mobbs - Rugby Union - Players and Officials - ESPN Scrum". ESPN scrum.
- "Bedford Modern School of the black & red".
- "Saints and the Army gather to honour fallen hero".
- {{London Gazette. (29 December 1916)
- Brendan Gallagher. (10 November 2008). "Sporting greats who graced playing field and World War One battlefield but were taken before their time: Sport - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk.
- "Mobbs, Edgar Roberts". [[CWGC]].
- link. (22 May 2008)
- Richards, Huw. (22 April 2011). "The end of an era". ESPN Scrum.
- (22 March 2012). "Mobbs Memorial Match returns to Northampton". rfu.com.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::