Beschreibung:

(x) The campaign group of three awarded to Lieutenant R. E. W. Copland-Crawford, King's Royal Rifle Corps, a skilled sportsman who scored the first goal in the history of International Football, when hitting the back of the net playing for Scotland in the 75th minute of their match against England at The Oval in 1870 - at that time he was still a Harrow schoolboy and also went on to play First Class Cricket Copland-Crawford saw active military service in Afghanistan and Egypt - during which time he was 'mentioned' for gallantry at Ahmed Khel- but his career ended in disgrace whilst serving the Sierra Leone Frontier Police, when he was eventually tried and imprisoned having been found guilty of causing a native servant to be flogged to death; it should be further noted that he perpetrated ghastly retributions against the local populations in his period of service in Africa Afghanistan 1878-80, 2 clasps, Ahmed Khel, Kandahar (Lieut: R. E. W. Copland. Crawford. 2/60th. Foot); Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse, no clasp (Lieut: R. E. W. Copland-Crawford. 3/K. R. Rif: C.); Khedive's Star 1884, good very fine (3) Robert Erskine Wade Copland-Crawford was born on 5 September 1852 at in Elizabeth Castle, Jersey where his father, Captain Crawford was serving in the Royal Artillery. Raised in Edinburgh, he went up to Harrow School in 1866 and soon excelled on the sports field. First love - Cricket He made the Cricket XI in 1868 and his finest hours came against the Lords and Commons XI on 10 June 1871. On that day he scored 72 and took four wickets with his underarm bowling in a drawn match. Latterly in life he turned out for the M.C.C. (two of these First Class matches) as well as playing for the Old Harrovians, the Army and I Zingari, for whom he stroked 106 playing with a young George Harris, who scored 117, against the Household Brigade. Harris would go onto captain Kent and England. True love - Football It was perhaps on the football field that Copland-Crawford really made the headlines and wrote his name into history. It all happened whilst he was still a schoolboy, when in C. W. Alcock and Arthur Kinnaird on 5 March 1870 laid on what was to be the first International Soccer Match in history. Played at The Oval, the match pitted the finest players who were available in the first of five such matches, which took place over a span of two years and began the long tradition of the scene of international matches that we know today. The Scottish XI included Sir James Kirkpatrick, 8th Bt., William Gladstone MP, the son of the Prime Minister, John Malcolm, later 1st Baron Malcolm, the Baillie-Hamilton brothers, Kenneth Muir Mackenzie, later 1st Baron Muir Mackenzie, William Lydnsay and Kinnaird himself. Their opponents were no less distinguished and also included Edward Ernest Bowen, schoolmaster at Harrow and the author of the school song; Edgar Lubbock, who would twice win the FA Cup; and Walpole Vidal, the famous 19th century footballer. The match was organised by the Football Association and resulted in a 1–1 draw, its playing being delayed by two weeks due to a strong frost which rendered the surface 'dangerously unfit'. After a good first half, the match was 0–0 when the teams changed end at half-time – a rule that The Sporting Gazette described as a new invention – but Scotland took the lead with just fifteen minutes left to play. It was to be Copland-Crawford who wrote his name into the history books in scoring that first ever international goal. It occured after England had moved their goalkeeper upfield in order to attempt to force the game. He took his chance and with '...a rather lucky kick...almost a fluke' the deadlock was broken. England equalised in the 90th minute with a goal from Alfred Baker and the match ended in a 1–1 draw. Copland-Crawford played in the second meeting of the two nations but missed the third fixture. By the time of the fourth match on 18 November 1871 he was joined by his brother in the Scotland