Sport was also a great leveller in the British Army. Here, on the rugby
field or in the boxing ring, the sporting traditions of the public school met those of the working class boys clubs. Between
officers and men there was mutual respect, but absolutely no social contact. Only in competetive games did the son
of an earl rub shoulders with a that of a miner on an equal footing. In this respect, sport built up an esprit de corps and
fostered the sense of regimental pride - especially if the sportsmen in question were successful against those of other regiments.
The Leicestershire Regiment excelled at Boxing, Rugby, Association Football
and Hockey, and its years of greatest prowess were probably those before the First World War. Leicester Football Club (the
famous Leicester Tigers) was born out of a team of officers of the Leicestershire Regiment in the 1880s. Its colours (green,
light grey, red and black) are also those of the regiment. In boxing the 2nd battalion produced a heavyweight champion
of the British Army in 'Togo' Bolesworth. In Rugby the 1st battalion won the Army Cup in 1908, 1911 and 1912, whilst
in football the 1st battalion won the Madras Gymkhana Cup in 1905.
Left: Detail of the tankard awarded to Pte W.Belton as part
of the Madras Gymkhana Cup winning team. Belton who was from Loughborough went on to become a professional footballer with
Nottingham Forest.
Below: The triumphant 1st battalion team of 1904/5 pose with the Gymkhana
Cup. Belton stands back row centre
In the interwar years the regimental rugby team was all-conquering, numbering
internationals such as Tony Novis, who captained England, Joe Kendrew, and Peter Upcher. After the war Rugby was also popular,
though the regiment never attained the same heights as in the 1930s.
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Above: A shooting medal awarded to Pte L.Ginns, 1st battalion,
by the Rifle Association of Southern India, for a competition in 1904
Above: A Hockey medal awarded to Lieutenant R.H.Ames, 2nd battalion,
for a competition at Wellington, Madras in 1912
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Above: A swimming medal awarded to Boy A.S.Pollard of the Regimental
Depot, in 1923
Above: A badge from a regimental rugby shirt, 1950s
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