Frederick William Davis (1899-1976) was a music teacher in Gloucester, and, in his young years, the captain of England Schoolboys team!
I’ve just received a small, old suitcase that contains Davis’ memorabilia... his cap, jersey (such heavy wool!) and blazer (ESRU ? Or St Luke - his school in Gloucester ?), postcard (school team, I assume), press clipping in local press (Gloucester Citizen) and referral letter from his former headmaster...
Below is Davis as captain of the 1913 team that beat Wales at Leicester.
The England-Wales series began in 1904, only one international was played each year (usually in March), and players had to be under 14 at the start of the season (1st September) in which the match took place. That was changed to 15 and, in the seventies, to 16 as the leaving age for compulsory education was raised. Davis’s two matches were in the 1911-12 season and 1912-13 season. Wales began a senior secondary schools team in the 1920s (with fixtures against their French counterparts and the Yorkshire Public Schools), but there was no corresponding senior age-group international team in England until after the Second World War.
(team photo - and expalnations! - credit to John Griffiths ; thank you!)
The history of England Schools rugby was narrated by John Griffiths in 2003 in 'The Boys Who Beat The World: The Centenary History of the ERFSU'. Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson on the cover illustrate the remarkable fact that all members of the 2003 RWC winning team but five (Dallaglio, Lewsey, Cohen, Robinson and Thompson) were previously picked for England Schools... (pic by Dick T. - thanks!)
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