Horace Thomas

Horace Thomas
Birth name	Horace Wyndham Thomas
Date of birth	28 July 1890
Place of birth	Monmouth School
University	King's College, Cambridge
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Fly half
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
?; ?; ?; 1911-1912	Cambridge University R.U.F.C.; Swansea RFC; Blackheath F.C.; Barbarian F.C.; Calcutta Football Club
International career
Years	Team
1912-1913	Wales

Not to be confused with American lawyer and public official Horace Holmes Thomas

Horace Wyndham Thomas (28 July 1890 – 3 September 1916) was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for Swansea. He won just two caps for Wales, and was one of thirteen Welsh internationals to die in conflict during World War I.

Rugby career

Thomas was born to a rector from

touring South African team. When Thomas was selected for the South African game he was chosen against a stipulated agreement, that stated that no Welsh player could be chosen to represent the country if they played within the London area, but did not play for London Welsh. Eight selectors travelled to Cambridge to watch Thomas play in a Varsity match which saw Cambridge victorious for the first time in seven years.^[3] The Thursday before the game, Thomas was named in the squad at a conference at the Queens's Hotel in Cardiff. Wales lost the game 3–0, but at one point after Thomas attempted a drop goal, the crowd mistakenly believing that the kick had succeeded, cheered thinking that Thomas had won the game for Wales.^[4]

Thomas would play only one more game for Wales, under the captaincy of Tommy Vile, in the team's opening match of the 1913 Five Nations Championship against England. Wales lost the game and Thomas ended his international rugby career without a win. Thomas left Britain to take up a post in Calcutta. While in Calcutta he joined and later became captain of the Calcutta Football Club.

International matches played

Wales^[5]

England 1913
South Africa 1912

Later life

In 1916 Thomas volunteered to serve his country in World War I. He reached the rank of

Thiepval Memorial.^[7]

Bibliography

Billot, John (1974). Springboks in Wales. Ferndale: Ron Jones Publications.

Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
ISBN 0-7083-0766-3
.

References

^ Welsh Rugby Union player profiles^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Flanders Battlefields". Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
^ Billot (1974), pg 99.
^ Billot (1974), pg 100.
^ Smith (1980), pg 472.
^ TNA WO 95/2586/1, Entry for 3 September 1916
^ Rugby Heroes who went to War BBC Online Matthew Ferris, November 2008

External links

[1] Welsh Rugby Union player profiles^{[permanent dead link]}

[2] "Flanders Battlefields". Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2008.

[Billot99-3] Billot (1974), pg 99.

[Billot100-4] Billot (1974), pg 100.

[Smith472-5] Smith (1980), pg 472.

[6] TNA WO 95/2586/1, Entry for 3 September 1916

[7] Rugby Heroes who went to War BBC Online Matthew Ferris, November 2008

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