From The Vaults

10 November 2024

'Old Billy' and his pal Charles by Keith Gregson

In 1918, Sunderland rugby and hockey player Charles Herbert wrote a letter about the death of his best friend, 'Billy Barker', who was killed whilst serving in the 15th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry during the First World War...

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10 November 2024

'Old Billy' and his pal Charles by Keith Gregson

In 1918, Sunderland rugby and hockey player Charles Herbert wrote a letter about the death of his best friend, 'Billy Barker', who was killed whilst serving in the 15th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry during the First World War...

29 June 2020

War Games: The New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the Second World War

At the outbreak of war it had been decided that New Zealand should provide an Expeditionary Force of one division, under the then Major-General, former player and rugby supporter Bernard Freyburg.

22 June 2020

War Games: Rugby on the home front during the Second World War

The UK rugby season, such as it was, closed at the end of April, 1940: whereupon Hitler launched his assault in the west, into Scandinavia, then through Holland and Belgium, once again, into France.

19 August 2019

Rugby, Resistance and the RAF

After more than four years of Nazi occupation Paris was finally liberated on the 25th August 1944. Central to the French struggle had been their underground resistance movement and the air campaign of the Royal Air Force. In the aftermath representatives of both met at Parc du Princes for a unique game of rugby.

16 April 2019

The 1919 Rugby World Cup Final...

A century ago, in this deciding clash for George V’s King’s Cup, could the Mother Country reverse their earlier defeat by New Zealand, or would the men from 12,000 miles away maintain their edge and build on the winning reputation they and their countrymen had built over the previous fifteen years?

09 April 2019

Play-offs loom in the 1919 King's Cup...

The Services teams from Down Under finally clashed at Bradford after a snow-postponement, and the against-the-odds Aussie win helped the Mother Country in their hopes of forcing a play-off for the 1919 Kings Cup…

05 April 2019

1919 King's Cup tournament draws towards its climax...

As the King’s Cup tournament of 1919 drew towards its climax, the Mother Country and New Zealand travelled north of the border to Edinburgh’s Inverleith, for what turned out to be a terrific foretaste of the eventual final and produced the ‘Storey’ of the day…

01 March 2019

The RAF - and "Taffy" - shot down on St David's Day...

In the ‘King’s Cup’ opening encounter the fledgling Royal Air Force outfit, with the last- minute addition of an amazing Air Force character, met a strong New Zealand Services XV at a windblown Swansea on St David’s Day 1919...

21 January 2019

Up for the Cup, 1919...

A century ago: January 1919 and with the Versailles negotiations to formally end WW1 still ongoing, five Services sides from amongst the victorious Allies’ ranks were being prepared for what became The King’s Cup: Rugby’s First ‘World Cup’…

22 August 2015

The Greater Game of War

A mixture of rain and snow accompanied the team on their journey north for their penultimate game of the 1914 5 Nations Championship. Their destination, Edinburgh, had experienced three weeks of solid rain but, against the odds, blue skies and a dry wind welcomed England on their arrival.

22 August 2014

'Rugby Union Footballers Are Doing Their Duty'

This large colour woodcut poster, made by Johnson, Riddle & Co. Ltd. is one of many such recruitment posters produced during the First World War.

04 August 2014

In August 1914 the Rugby Football Union advised all rugby players to enlist with the armed forces...

On August 13th 1914 the Rugby Football Union issued the following circular to all their clubs...