Monthly Archives: July 2015

Lest We Forget – Billy Geen (Wales) 31/07/1915

Posted on July 31, 2015 by

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 →

Posted in International Players, Lest We Forget, Wales | Leave a comment

The 1956 Arctic Rugby Football Championship

Posted on July 23, 2015 by

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 →

Posted in Canada, Clubs | 1 Comment

Lest We Forget – Frank Tarr (England) 18/07/1915

Posted on July 17, 2015 by

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 →

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Rugby from the front, 1914-1918

Posted on July 14, 2015 by

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 →

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MATCH REPORT – Harlequins v Richmond, 1909

Posted on July 8, 2015 by

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 →

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Radio Pioneers

Posted on July 1, 2015 by

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 →

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