A team you've seen never before... actually a photoshop work to create a fantasy team of international ruggers who died during WW1.
The original picture is this photo of the Equipe de France who played vs England in April 1914 at Colombes... last international game before WW1 broke out... out of the 30 players, 11 were to be killed at war...
The line-up of this team goes from Scotland to New Zealand... from Ireland to South Africa... (larger pic here) :
3rd row :
David GALLAHER (NZ), J.J. CONILH DE BEYSSAC (F), Alfred MAYSSONNIE (F), Felix FAURE (F)
2nd Row
Basil MAC LEAR (Irl), Blair SWANNEL (Aus), Charles Meyrick PRITCHARD (Wal), Ronald POULTON-PALMER (Eng) (captain), Jan (Jacky) MORKEL (AfS), Gaston LANE (F), Emmanuel IGUINIZ (F), Maurice BOYAU (F)
Front Row:
Jean LARRIBEAU (F), Walter Riddell SUTHERLAND (Sco), Marcel BURGUN (F)
This fantasy team is an initiative of French Ministry of Defense ("Office National des Anciens Combattants" i.e. "Department of Veterans Affairs"), who took the opportunity of an international U13 tournament early this month in Rodez (France) to organize a temporary exhibition about French athletes during WW1, and to circulate 3000 copies of a fine leaflet about "Rugby & Rugbymen" (available here for download : the players' bios are inside...)
I was happy to bring a couple of pictures to this project... among other contributors, I've spotted the names of "online friends" Sean Fagan, David Arrou and Eric Lanuza...
Let me add a few links about this major tounament in Rodez, aka Top12, for 11-13 years old boys which gathered 800 boys and girls (edited Oct.17), from 40 teams and 10 countries (France, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Belgium, Romania and Italie). The program (in French) is here as well as the list of the teams... the story was covered here...
Edited Oct. 17 : not to forget Top12 website here...
Pictures by permission. Credit to ONAC de l'Aveyron and Imprimerie Hérail, Rodez
Hi Fred and All
Try this link for a digital story by we History Staff at School and our pupils, about Charles Pritchard and other World War One memories.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/caerphilly/pages/remembrance_videos.shtml
Posted by: Phil Atkinson | 09/11/2008 at 18:03
Great stuff Phil... my teachers at school weren't so active...
Bad news : BBC Wales has confirmed me that your video can only be viewed in the UK. Any chance to get it on YouTube ?
Posted by: Frederic | 10/11/2008 at 19:31