Sometimes, collecting rugby memorablia makes you uncover unexpected stories! I've recently found this French Rugby League contract which was surprisingly coming with a whole bunch of uncashed bank cheques...
At first, I haven't paid attention to the name of the player before realizing it was Antonin Delqué, lock of Stade Toulousain before ww2, 4 caps for France 1937-38. A tough player here charging ball in hand against Chalons (French championship) in 1937...
On July 26th, 1939 Antonin Delqué signed a one year contract with rugby league club Toulouse Olympique. Provisions of the contract include a 13,000 Francs downpayment in the form of 10 monthly bank cheques dated September 1939 to June 1940.
French Rugby League ("rugby à 13"), created in 1934 by Jean Gallia, was on the rise in these late '30s, attracting the best rugby players and enthusiastic crowds, while French Rugby Union, banned from international relations by Home Unions since 1932, was in dark times...
Yet, the contract also stipulates that the agreement is void is case of mobilization and war... just five weeks later... Bad, bad timing indeed!! When the war broke up on Sept.3rd 1939, these bank cheques suddenly changed into kind of Monopoly bank notes... and Delqué never played Rugby League...
Contracts (in French), signed by Antonin Delqué and Toulouse Olympique club Secretary J.J.Pouech, are also a very interesting read (click the pictures for better definition).
Nota: I've found this uncredited photography of Delqué (above) in "Le rugby a Toulouse - 100 ans d'images" éd. Galerie Municipale du Château d'Eau. A wonderful but quite confidential book published in Toulouse.
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