| Birth name | Ernest William Roberts | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 November 1878 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lowestoft, Suffolk, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 19 November 1933 (aged 55) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Manchester, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Rear Admiral Ernest William Roberts, OBE (1878–1933) was a rugby union international who represented England from 1901 to 1907.[1] He also captained his country.[1] As a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy, he served in Grand Fleet destroyers during World War I.[2] He was appointed an OBE (Military Division) in 1923.[3]
Ernest Roberts was born on 14 November 1878 in Lowestoft.[1] He died on 19 November 1933 following an adjourned committee meeting to choose teams for an England trial match.[4] Roberts was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 22 November 1933.[5] There is a memorial stone in the churchyard of the parish church of St Mary the Virgin at Dedham, Essex commemorating Roberts, his wife and two children.[6]
Roberts made his international debut on 5 January 1901 at Cardiff Arms Park in the Wales vs England match.[1] Of the 6 matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on 0 occasions.[1] He played his final match for England on 16 March 1907 at Rectory Field, Blackheath in the England vs Scotland match.[1]