Ernest Strathdee
Date of birth | 26 May 1921 | ||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 17 July 1971 | (aged 50)||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
School | Belfast High School | ||||||||||||||||
University | Queen's University Belfast | ||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Broadcaster | ||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Ernest Strathdee (26 May 1921 — 17 July 1971) was a rugby union international and broadcaster from Northern Ireland.
Biography
Early life
Born in Belfast, Strathdee attended Belfast High School and Queen's University Belfast. He was an Ulster Senior Cup winner with Queen's University RFC in 1947.[1]
Career
Capped nine times for
Strathdee was a licensed presbyterian minister during his rugby years and later became a television broadcaster, getting his start in sports commentary. He chaired the weekly late-night weekly show What's it all about? on
Death
In 1971, Strathdee died in a fire at the Regency Hotel in Belfast. The fire, which also killed two Canadian guests, swept through the top floor of the hotel and was believed to have started in Strathdee's room, after he fell asleep smoking a cigarette.[3][4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Strathdee, Ernest ('Ernie')". Dictionary of Irish Biography.
- ^ "Perfect blend". Irish Independent. 21 March 2009.
- ^ "Misadventure Verdict On Mr. Strathdee". News Letter. 22 October 1971.
- ^ "Courage under fire: New book 'Firefighters of Belfast' chronicles selfless and quiet heroism displayed during Troubles". Belfast Telegraph. 1 December 2018.