REGINA — A Regina author has published a book highlighting more than 50 Regina rugby players who served in the World War I.
Dale Richter’s book, Glory, Duty & Sacrifice: The Regina Rugby Club and the Great War, tells the stories of individual players throughout the club’s early history.
“I tell their stories, and then I go into 1911 and do a similar thing. So I talk about the various players that started in certain years, and then that's how I kind of break down their individual stories,” he explained.
Later in the book, Richter focuses on 10 Regina Rugby Club players who did not return from the war.
“It was really important for me to reflect and remember those who didn’t make it back.”
Most of the rugby players had already served in the military before enlisting for the war, he noted.
"Following the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century, the Canadian government felt it needed to strengthen its military by creating local militia units. It gave young men a chance to earn some extra money, and it also appealed to their patriotism," Richter said.
Many of those players served with the Saskatchewan Rifles, now known as the Royal Regina Rifles. The Saskatchewan Rifles were formed in 1905 after Saskatchewan became a province.
Research
Richter never intended to write a book. Instead, he initially set out to research the history of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who were known as the Regina Rugby Club before changing their name to the Regina Roughriders in 1924 and eventually becoming the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1950.
“I decided to start researching this topic there. I was curious about the people associated with the Roughrider team over the years who served in both world wars. So I started researching World War II, the 1939 team, and got so far, and then I thought, well, I'll turn over to 1914, and found out that there was a lot more information available.”
The research eventually grew into a book project that Richter decided to publish.
Gathering all the information took six years, with Richter saying tracking down players' names proved to be one of the biggest challenges.
“It was a challenge because the newspaper in Regina back in the early 20th century was called the Regina Leader, and they recorded the names of all the guys that played in the games. But the only problem was that they were only the last names.”
As part of his research, Richter also explored the history of the Regina Rugby Club and included details about its formation, early rules and scoring system.
“So the early days of the Regina Rugby Club, how it was formed, some of the early rules, the scoring, that kind of thing.”
Richter also uncovered a memorial plaque bearing the names of nearly 400 Regina students and staff who enlisted in the Canadian military and served overseas.
“It was hung at Central Collegiate in Regina until it was torn down in the 1980s. I managed to track it down at the armoury on Elphinstone Street.”
With assistance, Richter obtained a photograph of the plaque and included a chapter on its history in the book.
While Richter has no immediate plans to write another book, he said he is interested in learning more about Regina Roughriders who served during World War II.
“There are quite a few more because there was the Canadian Army at that time too in World War II. We had an Air Force, so a lot of guys went into the Air Force and Canadian Navy.”
However, he said access to military records remains a challenge.
“The only files that you can access about the World War II veterans are those of those who were killed in the war. So once the Canadian government releases the personnel files for the people who served in World War II, I may take a little deeper dive into that then.”
Glory, Duty & Sacrifice: The Regina Rugby Club and the Great War is currently available on Amazon. The book will also be available to read at the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
