Monthly Archives: July 2015
Lest We Forget – Billy Geen (Wales) 31/07/1915
At his best, Billy Geen was a dazzlingly entertaining three-quarter, with a bewildering side-step. At times, he reminded supporters of some of the greatest exponents of Welsh back play, like Arthur Gould and Rhys Gabe. But he was a player … Continue reading
The 1956 Arctic Rugby Football Championship
The World Rugby Museum was recently contacted by a man who, in the 1950s, helped to implement the DEW Line system in northern Canada. The DEW Line, short for Distant Early Warning Line, was a Cold-War system of radar detection stations … Continue reading
Lest We Forget – Frank Tarr (England) 18/07/1915
Francis Nathaniel Tarr, known as Frank, was born at Ironville near Belper, Derbyshire, the only son of Frederick Tarr and his wife Emma. Francis had an older sister, Mabel. Frederick was a coal merchant, later a lithographic printer, whilst Emma’s family … Continue reading
Rugby from the front, 1914-1918
Rugby led the rush to war in 1914. As a famous recruiting poster trumpeted in December, ‘Rugby Union Footballers Doing their Duty – over 90% have enlisted’. While professional football infamously played on until its eventual cessation on St George’s … Continue reading
MATCH REPORT – Harlequins v Richmond, 1909
Harlequin Football Club (Harlequins F.C) had a gentleman’s agreement with the RFU to use their new football ground even before it was built in 1909. The first game at Twickenham was contested between Harlequins and Richmond, two local rivals, on … Continue reading
Radio Pioneers
1927 witnessed a curious new addition to the rear of the Twickenham South Terrace. A little known company called the British Broadcasting Corporation was granted permission to construct what looked like a bird-hive on top of the fence at the … Continue reading
