Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal
Birth name | William Wavell Wakefield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 10 March 1898 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Beckenham, Kent, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 12 August 1983 | (aged 85)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Kendal, Cumbria, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Sedbergh School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Pembroke College, Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal (10 March 1898 – 12 August 1983), known as Sir Wavell Wakefield between 1944 and 1963, was an English
politician.Background and education
Wakefield was born in
Rugby career
After the war Wakefield became the captain of the
In 1920, Wakefield made his England debut against Wales. He captained the Cambridge University team in 1922. In total, he appeared for England 31 times and was captain on 13 occasions. He led England to back-to-back Grand Slams. His final appearance for England was against France in April 1927. Through his career, Wakefield's influence on the game was pronounced. As an excellent all-round athlete he helped revolutionise the role of the back row forward. Prior to Wakefield their role was mainly static—pushing in the set scrum and winning the ball in loose scrums (or rucks, as they later became). Wakefield's athleticism enabled him to play a more dynamic role: pressuring the opposition half backs in defence and supporting the attacks of the three quarters, and these remain the prime responsibilities of the modern open side flank forward. Rugby historian Barry Bowker described Wakefield thus; "A complete footballer, he had all the attributes – strength, weight and speed – of a great forward. He was a master of the art of dribbling with pace, was up with his backs to share in an attack and took and gave passes well".[3]
He remained involved in rugby and was the RFU president in 1950. From 1950 to 1980 he was president of Harlequins. An all-round sportsman, Wakefield also became the president of the Ski Club of Great Britain, the British Sub-Aqua Club and the British Water Ski Federation. In 1999 Wakefield was inducted as the first English member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame.[4]
Business and political career
In 1931, Wakefield joined the
1945 general election and the Hampstead "anti-alien" petition
In August 1945 The Jewish Chronicle reported that "antisemitism on the part of [Conservative] party supporters had led many local political associations not to select Jewish candidates".[8] During the election campaign of that year, Conservative candidate Wavell Wakefield said that Jewish refugees should be repatriated to solve London's housing crisis.[9]
Apart from his sporting and political careers Wakefield was instrumental in the preservation of the
Personal life
Lord Wakefield of Kendal died in August 1983, aged 85, when the barony became extinct.[12]
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References
- ^ Reason, John (rev.), "Wakefield, (William) Wavell, Baron Wakefield of Kendal (1898–1983)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, 23 September 2004. Retrieved 25 May 2020. (subscription required)
- ISBN 978-0-9930213-0-5.
- ISBN 0-304-30214-7.
- ^ "Wavell Wakefield". International Rugby Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "1928 – 1978: The first 50 Years of Rediffusion". Rediffusion Ltd. 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "No. 43162". The London Gazette. 19 November 1963. p. 9433.
- ^ Copping, Robert (1975). The Monday Club – Crisis and After. Ilford: Current Affairs Information Service. p. 25.
- ^ Denis MacShane, Globalising Hatred: The New Antisemitism (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2008)
- ^ Graham Macklin, 'A quite natural and moderate defensive feeling'? The 1945 Hampstead 'anti-alien' petition' (2003) in Patterns of Prejudice 37:3 DOI: 10.1080/00313220307594
- ^ "History of the Railway". Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "History of Ullswater 'Steamers'". Ullswater 'Steamers'. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "PIONEERS OF OUR PAST: WILLIAM WAVELL WAKEFIELD". Rugby Football Union. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 1973.