Cyril Lowe
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox rugby biography Cyril Nelson "Kid" Lowe, Template:Post-nominals (7 October 1891 – 6 February 1983) was an English rugby union footballer who held England's international try scoring record for over sixty years, a First World War flying ace credited with nine victories, and supposedly the inspiration for W. E. Johns' character "Biggles".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Early lifeEdit
Lowe was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. He attended Dulwich College where he was a boarder in Orchard House.<ref name="OA"/> He edited the school magazine, The Alleynian, from 1910 to 1911, as his fellow alumnus P. G. Wodehouse had done previously. At Dulwich, he excelled at a number of sports, and represented the school in boxing, athletics, swimming, cricket and rugby.<ref name="scrum"/> He captained the Athletics squad in 1911 and in the same year played for the first XI cricket squad. In this same cricket side, he played alongside future England captain, Arthur Gilligan, the future Essex wicket-keeper Frank Gilligan and R. K. Nunes; the future captain of the West Indies. Eclipsing these sporting achievements was his record as a rugby player. He was in the side first XV from 1908 and was in the unbeaten first XV rugby union squad in 1909; which contained five future internationals dubbed the 'Famous Five'.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> These five would all go on to play in the 1913 Varsity match, (and also produced the captains of both Oxford and Cambridge in 1919), and all of whom served in the First World War. They were Eric Loudoun-Shand and Grahame Donald who both went on to play for Scotland, W. D. Doherty who went on to play for and captain Ireland, J. E. Greenwood who went on to play for and captain England and Cyril Lowe himself. He then went on to captain the side in 1910–11. Despite his sporting prowess, Lowe was not physically imposing, standing Template:Convert and weighing around nine-and-a-half stone (Template:Convert) while at school. His small stature led to his nickname at school being "Tich" Lowe.<ref name="OA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was described by the school magazine, The Alleynian, as "A first rate centre three-quarter. Very fast, with a capital pair of hands, a first-rate dodge on a dry ground, and a good pair of feet on the wet."
He went on to Cambridge University where he won rugby blues in 1911, 1912 and 1913, making him a rare triple blue.
Rugby careerEdit
Cyril Lowe, whilst still at Cambridge, was called up to play for England in 1913. This was to be the beginning of an international career that spanned either side of the First World War, in which he scored a record 18 tries in 25 internationals and was on the losing side only three times, twice to Wales and once to South Africa. He played in four Grand Slam-winning sides until his retirement in 1923. In 1913 and 1914 he won back-to-back Five Nation Grand Slams and his eight try haul in 1914 remains a Championship record, only ever equalled by two players, Ian Smith of Scotland in 1925,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Louis Bielle-Biarrey of France in 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
At club level, after leaving Cambridge, Lowe represented Blackheath, and was later the RAF representative on the Rugby Union Committee.
Lowe's sporting career was interrupted by the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. Lowe returned to his rugby career in 1920, playing for England. He retired from international rugby in 1923 with 25 caps, and would have gained more were it not for the war. His career total 18 tries remained an English record at his death and it was only equaled and later surpassed by another Royal Air Force pilot Rory Underwood in 1989, 66 years after Lowe's retirement. It has subsequently been achieved by other players, though internationals are more frequent in the modern game and are generally higher scoring.
International triesEdit
Military careerEdit
First World WarEdit
Joining the army soon after the outbreak of the First World War, Lowe was commissioned into the Army Service Corps as a temporary second lieutenant on 31 August 1914.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was promoted to lieutenant on 20 January 1915,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and to captain on 30 April 1916.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
Lowe was transferred to the General List to serve in the Royal Flying Corps, and appointed a flying officer on 30 September 1916.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was posted to No. 11 Squadron,<ref name="theaerodrome"/> and was appointed a flight commander on 11 February 1917.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Flying a F.E.2b with observer/gunner Second Lieutenant G. Masters, Lowe gained his first victory on 15 March 1917, destroying a Type C aircraft over Bailleul. On 24 March, he drove down out of control an Albatros D.III over Fontaine-lès-Croisilles, but was wounded when shot down by Reinhold Jörke later on the same day. Lowe returned to flying duty in early-1918, when posted to No. 24 Squadron, flying the S.E.5a single-seat fighter. Between 23 April and 1 July 1918, Lowe scored seven more victories, sharing one with Lieutenant Ronald T. Mark, destroying three and driving down four more out of control, to bring his total to nine.<ref name="theaerodrome">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lowe was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was gazetted on 3 August 1918. His citation read: Template:Quote
This was followed by the award of the Military Cross, gazetted on 16 September 1918. The citation read: Template:Quote
Lowe left the RAF after the war, being transferred to unemployed list on 2 March 1919.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
Post-war careerEdit
Lowe returned to serve in the Royal Air Force on a three-year short service commission with the rank of flight lieutenant on 12 January 1921,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> but this was later cancelled and he was granted a permanent commission on 17 April 1923, backdated to January 1921.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1925,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and was posted to the Headquarters of the Special Reserve and Auxiliary Air Force on 7 September 1925.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> However, on 14 September 1925 he was appointed temporary commander of No. 602 City of Glasgow (Bombing) Squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> On 1 April 1926, he was appointed commander of No. 1 Squadron, based in Iraq,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and on 1 November 1926 was transferred to No. 6 Armoured Car Company.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Lowe eventually returned to England, and was commander of No. 43 Squadron, based at RAF Tangmere by June 1928,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> the squadron becoming highly regarded for their aerobatic displays.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He was posted to No. 2 Flying Training School, based at RAF Digby, on 18 November 1930.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Lowe was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1933,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and in August was appointed chief instructor of the Oxford University Air Squadron, succeeding Keith Park, and being the first Cambridge man to command the Oxford Squadron.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> On 31 December 1937 Lowe was promoted to group captain,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and retired from the Royal Air Force on 7 October 1944.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
Lowe died in 1983, aged 91.