Norman Biggs
Birth name | Norman Witchell Biggs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 3 November 1870 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 27 February 1908 | (aged 37)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Sakaba, Kebbi State, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | University College Cardiff Trinity Hall, Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Selwyn Biggs, brother Cecil Biggs, brother | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Norman Witchell Biggs[1][2] (3 November 1870 – 27 February 1908) was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan.[3][4][5] Both Biggs and his brother Selwyn played international rugby for Wales, though they never played together in the same match for Wales. Biggs also played cricket for Glamorgan and in 1893 was part of a team that took on Cardiff in a two-day match; he faced his brother Selwyn, who was a member of the Cardiff team.[6]
Biggs is notable for being a member of the 1893 Triple Crown winning Wales team, being the youngest capped player to represent the Wales international team, a record he held for over a century, and the unusual circumstances of his death by poison arrow.[7][8]
Early history
Norman Biggs was born in
Rugby career
International debut
Biggs gained his first
Home Nations Championship matches
Later in the 1888–89 season, Biggs was reselected for the Welsh team as part of the
It took Biggs until the
Biggs played in two more internationals for Wales, both in the
International matches played
Wales[27]
Club and county
Biggs played for Cardiff from the 1886–87 season through to 1898–99, though not continuously, spending some time in the early 1890s in London.
Biggs played for several club teams throughout his career, including England's Richmond and Welsh exile club London Welsh.[10][32] On 24 December 1890, Biggs played for London Welsh in a match against his longterm club Cardiff. The London Welsh team produced a 'devastating display' to beat Cardiff by a single try.[33][34] At county level he represented Glamorgan where he played alongside his brother, and later turned out for Somerset.[10] During the 1893/94 season Biggs was made club captain of Cardiff, and in the same season he led Cardiff against the invitational team the Barbarians, not only winning the game but also scoring two tries and kicking a successful conversion.[35] The same season as he faced the Barbarians with Cardiff, Biggs was invited to join the tourists; one of four of the Biggs brothers to play for the team. The last notable club Biggs represented was Bath, captaining the senior team during the 1899–1900 season.[10]
In 1894 Biggs was invited to play for the Barbarians, and on 2 April, he faced Rockcliff, playing alongside his brother Selwyn, who was also making his Barbarian's debut.[36] Biggs played twice more for the Barbarians, both matches against Bath Rugby. In the 1894 encounter Biggs converted a try in a 14–0 victory, while the 1896 match saw Biggs score a try and two conversions in a 13–13 draw.[37]
Later life and military career
After the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Biggs volunteered for active service and was posted as a private to the Glamorgan Yeomanry, which formed 4 Company, 1st Battalion Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa. Biggs later reflected how life in the Yeomanry was a constant struggle, and he engaged in 57 skirmishes with his unit coming under daily sniper fire.[38] He was wounded near Vrede on 11 October 1900, when he was shot through the thigh whilst patrolling.[38][39] He was returned to England on the hospital ship Simla which left Cape Town 26 November and arrived at Southampton on 18 December.[40] He was then commissioned as a second lieutenant on 16 February 1901.[41] On 17 April he was promoted lieutenant and attached to 4th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry.[42] Later in the year he either received a further wound, or fell ill, since The Times reported on 26 September that he had been discharged from hospital and returned to duty in the week ending 8 September.[43] He returned home on the steamship Goorkha, which left Cape Town on 19 July.[44] He relinquished his commission on 12 September, and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant, and permission to continue wearing his uniform.[45]
Biggs was then commissioned as a lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion
References
- ^ Biggs is often incorrectly named Norman Mitchell Biggs in publications, including the Alumni Cantabrigienses
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Wales Player archive – Norman Biggs". Welsh Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ "Norman Biggs". Scrum.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Newspaper Extracts from Genuki.org.uk". Western Mail. 4 April 1894. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Glamorgan v Cardiff". Cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Tom Prydie could become Wales' youngest cap". BBC Sport. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ a b c Williams, Moelwyn Idwal. "Biggs, Norman (1870 - 1908), Wales and Cardiff Rugby wing threequarter". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ a b 1881 British Census (1881). "Household information of 27 Park Place, Cardiff". family Search.org. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e Jenkins (1991), p. 21
- ^ "Biggs, Norman Mitchell (BGS889NM)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ 1881 British Census (1881). "Household information for 'Lewinsdale School', 1 Ellenborough Park". family Search.org. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Norman Biggs Dead: Succumbed to a wound in Nigeria". The Weekly Times. family Search.org. 7 March 1908. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ^ "Prydie joins illustrious band of brothers". WRU. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ Griffiths (1987), p. 4:5.
- ^ Sportsbeat (20 March 2010). "Hook crosses twice in Wales romp over Italy". RBS6Nations.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ "Unsporting behaviour? – NZ Natives' rugby tour of 1888/89". New Zealand History online. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ a b c Billot (1972), p.17
- ^ a b Billot (1972), p 21
- ^ "Maori come unstuck in Cardiff". Scrum.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ Griffiths (1987), p. 3:3 – 3:6.
- ^ "Triple Crown". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-84513-405-1.
- ^ Richards, Huw (26 January 2010). "Glass half full". Scrum.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Player analysis / Norman Biggs / Test matches". Scrum.com. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ "Player analysis / Selwyn Biggs / Test matches". Scrum.com. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ Smith (1980), p. 463
- ^ a b Davies (1975) p. 213
- ^ Davies (1975) p. 419
- ^ a b Davies (1975) p. 427
- ^ Davies (1975) p. 413
- ^ Mark W-J (4 March 2010). "London Welsh v Llanelli – B&I Cup Preview". RugbyNetwork.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ Davis (1975) p.307
- ISBN 0-86254-125-5.
- ISBN 0-86007-552-4.
- ^ "Barbarian player profile: N. W. Biggs". barbarianfc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ Starmer-Smith (1977), p.234
- ^ a b "Norman Biggs Dead". Cardiff Times. 7 March 1908. p. 8. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ^ "Casualties". News. The Times. No. 36275. London. 17 October 1900. col A, p. 5.
- ^ "Return of Invalids". News. The Times. No. 36329. London. 19 December 1900. col C, p. 10.
- ^ "No. 27285". The London Gazette. 15 February 1901. p. 1148.
- ^ "No. 27335". The London Gazette. 19 July 1901. p. 4781.
- ^ "The War. Casualties". News. The Times. No. 36570. London. 26 September 1901. col A, p. 4.
- ^ "The Army in South Africa. The Queen and the Imperial Yeomanry Hospitals". News. The Times. No. 36829. London. 25 July 1902. col A, p. 9.
- ^ "No. 27479". The London Gazette. 3 October 1902. p. 6275.
- ^ "No. 27563". The London Gazette. 12 June 1903. p. 3716.
- ^ "No. 27791". The London Gazette. 9 May 1905. p. 3331.
- ^ "Naval And Military Intelligence". Official Appointments and Notices. The Times. No. 37934. London. 3 February 1906. col C, p. 10.
- ^ "No. 27897". The London Gazette. 23 March 1906. p. 2064.
- ^ Amanda Cashmore (31 January 2020). "Six Nations: The Wales rugby international 'shot by a poison arrow'". BBC. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
Bibliography
- Billot, John (1972). All Blacks in Wales. Ferndale: Ron Jones Publications.
- Davies, D.E. (1975). Cardiff Rugby Club, History and Statistics 1876–1975. Risca: The Starling Press. ISBN 0-9504421-0-0.
- Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883–1983. London: Willows Books. ISBN 0-00-218060-X.
- Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. ISBN 0-460-07003-7.
- Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.
- 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.
External links
- Cricket Archive Cricket biography of Norman Biggs with portrait
- Captain Norman Biggs' grave A video interview with Markus Yabani at Norman Biggs' graveside, explaining the local beliefs towards the reason for his murder.