Monthly Archives: December 2015

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the World Rugby Museum!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by

This Christmas Card was designed for the Rugby Football Union by Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887-1965), better known as ‘Fougasse’. Injured at Gallipoli, Bird began a long association with Punch magazine in 1916 and became one of Britain’s best loved cartoonists. You … Continue reading →

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Passchendaele Remembers Dai Westacott

Posted on December 21, 2015 by

The 2015 Passchendaele Commemoration  Remembers “Dai” Westacott. At a moving commemoration held on the evening of the 10th November each year, the villagers of Passchendaele honour the memory of the men of all nationalities who died during the Third Battle … Continue reading →

Posted in International Players, Lest We Forget, Wales | 3 Comments

BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year

Posted on December 18, 2015 by

The BBC Sports Personality of the year award has been running since the mid-1950s. Originally devised by the British television executive Sir Paul Fox, the awards have evolved to honour not just individual talent from the UK but also team … Continue reading →

Posted in England, Lions | Leave a comment

Welsh Giants of the King’s Cup

Posted on December 14, 2015 by

When Newport staged one of the games in the six-team Inter Services Championship (King’s Cup) in March 1919, Australia beating South Africa 6-5 in March 1919, a Newport man who was to be a South African cap was in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Wales | Leave a comment

One of Us: England’s Greatest Rugby Players – Norman Wodehouse

Posted on December 11, 2015 by

Name: Norman Atherton Wodehouse (1910-1913) Birthplace: Basford Position: Forward Total Caps: 14 Calcutta Cups: 2 Triple Crowns: 1 Outright Championship Victories: 2 Grand Slams: 1 World Cups: n/a The word ‘hero’ is often freely bandied about in relation to sport … Continue reading →

Posted in England, International Players | 1 Comment

Ireland’s Call by Stephen Walker

Posted on December 7, 2015 by

During the Great War hundreds of Irish rugby players joined the British Army and lost their lives in the mud of France and Flanders and in the heat of Gallipoli.  A generation of sporting heroes died and their number also … Continue reading →

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

One of Us: England’s Greatest Rugby Players – Cherry Pillman

Posted on December 2, 2015 by

Name: Charles Henry Pillman (1910-1914) Birthplace: Sidcup Hill Position: Flanker Total Caps: 18 Calcutta Cups: 4 Triple Crowns: 2 Outright Championship Victories: 3 Grand Slams: 2 World Cups: n/a As a boy Cherry Pillman is purported to have been present … Continue reading →

Posted in England, International Players | 1 Comment