Arthur Newton : Rugby Player

Discussion in 'Sportsmen & women' started by Dolphin, Jun 10, 2009.

  1. Dolphin

    Dolphin New Member

    This is one of a series of posts to mark the international Rugby players who died during The Great War. If anyone has further information on the men concerned, I’d be most grateful if it could be added to the thread.

    Gareth

    Newton, Arthur Winstanley
    played for England

    Internationals: 1 : 1907 S-

    Arthur Newton was born on 12 September 1879.

    Played as a Wing for: Blackheath, The Army, Barbarians

    Profession: The Army - Royal Dublin Fusiliers

    Remarks: Commissioned in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers 7 May 1900 and promoted to Lieutenant on 2 August 1902. Played for the Officers of the Army v the Officers of the Royal Navy in February (14-15) and December 1907 (0-15). Played for Barbarians: v Cardiff (0-17) v Exeter (18-3) in 1907. Resigned his commission in the RDF 18 July 1908. There is an “A Newton” listed on the Indian Army List of 1912.

    War service: He is shown as T/Major, 6th (Service) Bn, Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the Army List of January 1915.

    Arthur Newton is believed to have been killed in action during the 1914-1918 War, and many Rugby references indicate this. However, he is not listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Register; the only A W Newton listed is not him – there are 37 A Newtons listed.
     
  2. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

  3. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    Check this that Phil found .... same birth date !! .... he also found a funeral notice for Andrew in Australia in 1945 !!

    Andrew Newton
    England
    Full name Andrew Winstanley Newton
    Born September 12, 1879
    Died circa 1944
    Major teams England
    Position Wing

    http://www.scrum.com/england/rugby/player/1889.html
     
  4. forester

    forester New Member

    Annie & Gareth,

    The rugby link I gave you earlier matches the dates on Gareth's original (2004) post:

    Andrew Newton, wing, capped 16th March 1907, England v Scotland, played at Blackheath.

    Phil
     
  5. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    I didn't even notice that Sherlock !! .......... maybe he really is Andrew !! :rolleyes:

    We'll have to wait until Gareth comes back on ..........

    I was going to try the Australia board to see if we could find something there !! ... but I think I'll wait till we find out the proper name !!

    Annie :)
     
  6. Dolphin

    Dolphin New Member

    We may be on the way to solving a mystery here!

    His name is Arthur in all the Rugby histories that I've seen. The 1971 Centenary History of the RFU has this: "Newton's career becomes confused because of conflicting authorities. He is listed as killed in World War I by Wisden 1925-26 and in the 1925 revised edition of Marshall, however he is not on the official RFU Roll of Honour of the 1914-18 War and does not appear in the Blackheath club list of its killed. Since he does not appear in the 1919 edition of the Army List it is probable that he did not survive the War."

    Two possibilities spring to mind, the first fairly unlikely and the second more likely:

    there were twins named Andrew and Arthur, presumably the offspring of parents who wanted to economise of monogrammed garments, and their histories have become muddled together; or

    Andrew's name was incorrectly recorded as Arthur at some point, and that's why the latter name couldn't be traced. However, the Army List generally only uses surnames and initials, so Andrew and Arthur would both appear as A W Newton.

    It's an easy mistake in research [I write from experience here] to assume that whatever was written at the time you're looking at must have been correct - but when you look at the modern media, it's clear that this isn't an inflexible rule.

    I wonder where in Australia Andrew/Arthur Newton died? It's a big place to go looking.

    Gareth
     
  7. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

  8. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    Melbourne General Cemetery
     

    Attached Files:

  9. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

  10. Dolphin

    Dolphin New Member

    It looks like reports of his death were rather exaggerated! He went on to live in Melbourne.

    (Though Barry Humphries did once remark of Melbourne that it's a place where the visitor can honestly wonder if there really is life before death.)

    It certainly looks like Arthur really was Andrew, who resigned his commission in the RDF on18 July 1908. An unknown program compiler, or similar functionary, made a mistake and condemned Andrew to obscurity, and sent historians searching for someone who didn't exist.

    Gareth
     
  11. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

  12. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    Electoral Rolls:

    1924
    Andrew Winstanley Newton
    Male
    State: Victoria
    District: Henty
    Subdistrict: Sandringham
    73 Beach Rd Sandringham , Clerk

    1931
    Andrew Winstanley Newton
    Male
    State: Victoria
    District: Flinders
    Subdistrict: Ivanhoe
    83 Locksley Rd Ivanhoe, Clerk

    At this address is also a Millicent Madeline Newton listed as home duties

    1939
    Andrew Winstanley Newton
    Male
    State: Victoria
    District: Balaclava
    Subdistrict: St Kilda West
    8 Alfred Sq, Clerk

    Millicent also listed at this address.
     
  13. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    His death reg .....

    NEWTON Andrew Winstanley
    Father Willoughby Andrew Mother Blanch HOWARD
    Died at St Kilda 66 years 1945 Reg#9387


    His MI at Melbourne General Cemetery which unfortunately gives no further info

    NEWTON - In devoted remembrance of Capt A W Newton, beloved husband and father, called to higher life 14 Sep 1945. Until the day dawns.
     
  14. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    I meant to say that my Aussie friend helped me with the above information !! :)
     
  15. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

  16. Dolphin

    Dolphin New Member

    What we've found out is enough for me. It was certainly Andrew who served in the RDF and died in Melbourne. 'Arthur' must have been a mistake.

    Gareth
     
  17. liverpool annie

    liverpool annie New Member

    heres a snippet .........

    It wasn't Andrew Winstanley's first emigration to Aus in 1920.

    Cable News 9 September 1905.

    Lord Chelmsford, the new Governor of Queensland has appointed Lieutenant Andrew Winstanley Newton of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers as his private secretary and Lieutenant Bertram Breeds as his aide-de-camp.
     
  18. Dolphin

    Dolphin New Member

    Fascinating! He's no longer such a man of mystery. Perhaps his first visit prompted him to later emigrate.

    Gareth
     

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