Lewis Bradley (rugby): Difference between revisions

Lewis Bradley
Personal information
Full name	Lewis Bradley
Born	1889; Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England
Died	20 June 1918 (aged 29); Somme, France
Playing information
Rugby union
Club
Rugby league
Position	Wing
Club

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Lewis "Lew" Bradley (1889 – 20 June 1918) was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played club level rugby union for Cinderford R.F.C., Lydney RFC and Pontypool RFC, and club level rugby league for Wigan as a winger.^[1]

Background

Lewis Bradley was born in 1889 in Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England. He was the youngest of four brothers and two sisters born to John George and Ann Bradley.^[2] He lived with his family at The Roebuck Inn (now closed and occupied by a residential development called Roebuck Meadows).^[3]

Rugby career

Rugby union

Bradley began playing rugby with his local club, Cinderford R.F.C., and represented Gloucestershire at county level for the first time in 1908. He went on to play for Lydney RFC before moving to Wales to play for Pontypool RFC.^[4] While playing rugby at Pontypool, Bradley also worked as a butcher.^[5]

Rugby league

Bradley changed rugby football codes from rugby union to rugby league on 1 December 1911, signing a professional contract with Wigan.^[2] He made his début on the following day in a 17–15 victory over Wakefield Trinity at Central Park. Scoring a try on his début, he was described by the Wigan Observer and District Advertiser as being "Quick off the mark he was often past his opposing threequarter before the latter realised Bradley had the ball. Shall we ever forget this speedy wing threequarter at Central Park? He was the idol of the crowd and it only seems like yesterday that he was dashing down the touchline, his long flowing hair blowing in the wind, those long raking strides, and that final natural swerve".^{[citation needed]} At the end of his first season with the club, he played and scored a try against Huddersfield in the Championship Final during at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 4 May 1912, but Wigan went on to lose the match 5–13.

During the 1912–13 season, Bradley played and scored two tries in Wigan's 21–5 victory over Rochdale Hornets in the 1912–13 Lancashire Cup Final at Weaste, Salford, on Wednesday 11 December 1912, in front of a crowd of 6,000.^[6] On Saturday 3 May 1913, he played in the Championship Final for the second season in a row, this time held at Belle Vue, Wakefield, but the team once again lost to Huddersfield.

Before the suspension of all competitive fixtures due to World War I at the end of the 1914–15 season, Bradley had scored an average of over one try per match (118 tries in 105 appearances), helping the team win the Lancashire League for four consecutive seasons. He also finished as the club's top try scorer in 1912–13 and 1913–14, with a total of 37 and 40 tries respectively.^[7]

First World War

Bradley joined the Army in 1915, but continued to play rugby for Wigan while training, and also appeared for Leeds as a guest.^[4] He made his final appearance for Wigan in February 1918, finishing his career with a total of 136 tries in 123 games.^[7] During the war, Bradley served as a Driver in the Royal Field Artillery regiment 96th Brigade unit.^[5]

On 18 June 1918, he sustained multiple shrapnel wounds while in action on the Western Front in France. Bradley later died from his wounds on 20 June 1918. He is buried in the Vignacourt British Cemetery in France, and he his honoured at the Wigan Cenotaph.

References

^ Williams, Graham; Lush, Peter; Farrar, David (2009). The British Rugby League Records Book. London League. pp. 108–114. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6.
^ ^a ^b "A Try Scoring Machine" (PDF). Past Forward. No. 37. Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust. July–November 2004. pp. 18–19.
^ "Forest of Dean Pubs - Placenames beginning with R". Gloucestershire Pubs. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Lewis Bradley - Tribute To A Cinderford Legend" (PDF). Gloucestershire All Golds - Official Matchday Programme. 6 September 2015. pp. 20–21.
^ ^a ^b "Lewis Bradley". Wigan Archives. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
^ "1912–1913 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Lew Bradley". Cherryandwhite.co.uk. RLFANS.com.

External links

[1] Williams, Graham; Lush, Peter; Farrar, David (2009). The British Rugby League Records Book. London League. pp. 108–114. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6.

[pastforward-2] "A Try Scoring Machine" (PDF). Past Forward. No. 37. Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust. July–November 2004. pp. 18–19.

[3] "Forest of Dean Pubs - Placenames beginning with R". Gloucestershire Pubs. Retrieved 28 April 2020.

[allgolds-4] "Lewis Bradley - Tribute To A Cinderford Legend" (PDF). Gloucestershire All Golds - Official Matchday Programme. 6 September 2015. pp. 20–21.

[wiganarchives-5] "Lewis Bradley". Wigan Archives. Retrieved 28 April 2020.

[1912-1913_Lancashire_Cup_Final-6] "1912–1913 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.

[wiganrlfans-7] "Lew Bradley". Cherryandwhite.co.uk. RLFANS.com.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|English rugby union and rugby league footballer}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
+{{Use British English|date=March 2020}}
 {{Infobox rugby league biography
 |first               = RU
@@ Line 6: / Line 9: @@
 |imagesize           = 192
 |caption             =
-|birth_date          = third ¼ 1889
+|birth_date          = 1889
-|birth_place         = [[Ruardean]], England
+|birth_place         = {{nowrap|[[Ruardean]], [[Gloucestershire]], England}}
 |death_date          = {{death date|1918|06|20|df=y}} (aged 29)
 |death_place         = [[Somme (department)|Somme]], France
@@ Line 35: / Line 38: @@
 }}
-'''Lewis "Lew" Bradley''' (third ¼ 1889 – 20 June 1918) was an English [[rugby union]] and professional [[rugby league]] footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for [[Cinderford R.F.C.]] (in [[Cinderford]], [[Gloucestershire]]), [[Lydney Rugby Football Club|Lydney RFC]] (in [[Lydney]], [[Gloucestershire]]) and [[Pontypool RFC]]<!--, as a [[Rugby union positions#Wings|wing]], i.e. number 11 or 14-->, and club level rugby league (RL) for [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] ([[List of Wigan Warriors players|Heritage No. 320]]),<ref name="Heritage Numbers - In Debut Order">{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=1822|title=Heritage Numbers - In Debut Order|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2017|accessdate=1 January 2018}}</ref> as a {{rlp|wg}}, i.e. number 2 or 5.<ref>{{cite book| first1= Graham| last1= Williams| first2= Peter| last2= Lush| first3= David| last3= Farrar| title= The British Rugby League Records Book| publisher= London League| isbn= 978-1-903659-49-6| year= 2009| pages= 108–114}}</ref>
+'''Lewis "Lew" Bradley''' (1889 – 20 June 1918) was an English [[rugby union]] and professional [[rugby league]] footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played club level rugby union for [[Cinderford R.F.C.]], [[Lydney Rugby Football Club|Lydney RFC]] and [[Pontypool RFC]], and club level rugby league for [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] as a [[winger (rugby league)|winger]].<ref>{{cite book| first1= Graham| last1= Williams| first2= Peter| last2= Lush| first3= David| last3= Farrar| title= The British Rugby League Records Book| publisher= London League| isbn= 978-1-903659-49-6| year= 2009| pages= 108–114}}</ref>
 ==Background==
+Lewis Bradley was born in 1889 in [[Ruardean]], [[Gloucestershire]], England. He was the youngest of four brothers and two sisters born to John George and Ann Bradley.<ref name="pastforward">{{cite magazine |title=A Try Scoring Machine |url=https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Resident/Leisure/Museums-and-archives/archives/Past-Forward/pf37.pdf |magazine=Past Forward |publisher=Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust |pages=18–19 |issue=37 |date=July-November 2004}}</ref> He lived with his family at The Roebuck Inn (now closed and occupied by a residential development called Roebuck Meadows).<ref>{{cite web |title=Forest of Dean Pubs - Placenames beginning with R |url=http://www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk/Forest_of_Dean_Redbrook-Ruspidge%20Nr%20Cinderford.php |website=Gloucestershire Pubs |accessdate=28 April 2020}}</ref>
-Lewis Bradley was born in [[Ruardean]], [[Gloucestershire]], England, his birth was registered in [[Westbury-on-Severn]] district, Gloucestershire, he was the son of John George Bradley and Ann, he lived with his family at The Roebuck [[pub]]lic house (now closed and occupied by a residential development called Roebuck Meadows), Forest Road, [[Ruardean Woodside]], [[Ruardean]]  {{circa|1901}}, he worked as a butcher in [[Pontypool]], Wales {{circa|1911}}, during [[World War I]] he served as a [[Driver (rank)|Driver]] in the [[Royal Field Artillery]] regiment in the 410th Battery [[96th Brigade (United Kingdom)|96th Brigade]] unit ([[Service number]] 118613), he sustained [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|shrapnel]] died at the [[Somme (department)|Somme]], France in the period between [[Operation Michael]] (21 March – 5 April 1918) and the [[Second Battle of the Somme (1918)|Second Battle of the Somme]] (21 August – 2 September 1918), he is buried in the Vignacourt British Cemetery (Grave Reference: IV. A. 1.), [[Somme (department)|Somme]], France, and he his honoured at the Wigan Cenotaph.
-==Playing career==
+==Rugby career==
+===Rugby union===
+Bradley began playing rugby with his local club, [[Cinderford R.F.C.]], and represented [[Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union|Gloucestershire]] at county level for the first time in 1908. He went on to play for [[Lydney Rugby Football Club|Lydney RFC]] before moving to [[Wales]] to play for [[Pontypool RFC]].<ref name="allgolds">{{cite news |title=Lewis Bradley - Tribute To A Cinderford Legend |url=https://www.allgoldsrugby.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/All-Golds-v-Keighley-Cougars-Final-LR.pdf |work=Gloucestershire All Golds - Official Matchday Programme|date=6 September 2015 |pages=20–21}}</ref> While playing rugby at Pontypool, Bradley also worked as a [[butcher]].<ref name="wiganarchives">{{cite web |title=Lewis Bradley |url=https://archives.wigan.gov.uk/entity/62674-lewis-bradley |website=Wigan Archives |accessdate=28 April 2020}}</ref>
+===Rugby league===
-===Championship Final appearances===
+Bradley changed [[rugby football]] codes from [[rugby union]] to [[rugby league]] on 1 December 1911, signing a professional contract with [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]].<ref name="pastforward" /> He made his début on the following day in a 17–15 victory over [[Wakefield Trinity]] at [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park]]. Scoring a try on his début, he was described by the [[Wigan Post|Wigan Observer and District Advertiser]] as being ''"Quick off the mark he was often past his opposing threequarter before the latter realised Bradley had the ball. Shall we ever forget this speedy wing threequarter at Central Park? He was the idol of the crowd and it only seems like yesterday that he was dashing down the touchline, his long flowing hair blowing in the wind, those long raking strides, and that final natural swerve"''.{{cn|date=April 2020}} At the end of his first season with the club, he played and scored a [[Try (rugby)|try]] against [[Huddersfield Giants|Huddersfield]] in the [[Rugby Football League Championship First Division|Championship]] Final during at [[Thrum Hall]], [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]] on Saturday 4 May 1912, but Wigan went on to lose the match 5–13.
-Lewis Bradley played {{rlp|rw}}, i.e. number 2, and scored a [[try]] in [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]'s 5-13 defeat by [[Huddersfield Giants|Huddersfield]] in the [[Rugby Football League Championship First Division|Championship]] Final during [[1911–12 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1911–12 season]] at [[Thrum Hall]], [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]] on Saturday 4 May 1912, in front of a crowd of 15,000, and he played {{rlp|rw}} in the 2-29 defeat by [[Huddersfield Giants|Huddersfield]] in the [[Rugby Football League Championship First Division|Championship]] Final during [[1912–13 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1913–13 season]] at [[Belle Vue (Wakefield)|Belle Vue]], [[Wakefield]] on Saturday 3 May 1913, in front of a crowd of 17,000.
+During the [[1912–13 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1912–13 season]], Bradley played and scored two [[Try (rugby)|tries]] in Wigan's 21–5 victory over [[Rochdale Hornets]] in the [[1912–13 Lancashire Cup]] Final at [[Weaste]], [[City of Salford|Salford]], on Wednesday 11 December 1912, in front of a crowd of 6,000.<ref name="1912-1913 Lancashire Cup Final">{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=415|title=1912–1913 Lancashire Cup Final|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref> On Saturday 3 May 1913, he played in the [[Rugby Football League Championship First Division|Championship]] Final for the second season in a row, this time held at [[Belle Vue (Wakefield)|Belle Vue]], [[Wakefield]], but the team once again lost to Huddersfield.
-===County League appearances===
-Lewis Bradley played in [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]'s victories in the [[RFL Lancashire League|Lancashire]] [[Rugby league county leagues|County League]] during the [[1911–12 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1911–12 season]], [[1912–13 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1912–13 season]], [[1913–14 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1913–14 season]], and [[1914–15 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1914–15 season]].<ref name="Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com">{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=205|title=Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref>
+Before the suspension of all competitive fixtures due to [[World War I]] at the end of the [[1914–15 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1914–15 season]], Bradley had scored an average of over one try per match (118 [[Try (rugby)|tries]] in 105 appearances), helping the team win the [[RFL Lancashire League|Lancashire League]] for four consecutive seasons. He also finished as the club's top try scorer in 1912–13 and 1913–14, with a total of 37 and 40 tries respectively.<ref name="wiganrlfans">{{cite web |title=Lew Bradley |url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=205 |website=Cherryandwhite.co.uk |publisher=RLFANS.com}}</ref>
-===County Cup Final appearances===
-Lewis Bradley played {{rlp|rw}}, i.e. number 2, and scored 2-[[Try|tries]] in [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]]'s 21-5 victory over [[Rochdale Hornets]] in the [[1912–13 Lancashire Cup|1912–13]] [[RFL Lancashire Cup|Lancashire]] [[Rugby league county cups|County Cup]] Final during the [[1912–13 Northern Rugby Football Union season|1912–13 season]] at [[Weaste]], [[City of Salford|Salford]], on Wednesday 11 December 1912, in front of a crowd of 6,000.<ref name="1912-1913 Lancashire Cup Final">{{cite web|url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=415|title=1912–1913 Lancashire Cup Final|publisher=wigan.rlfans.com|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref>
-===Club career===
+==First World War==
+Bradley joined the Army in 1915, but continued to play rugby for Wigan while training, and also appeared for [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]] as a guest.<ref name="allgolds" /> He made his final appearance for Wigan in February 1918, finishing his career with a total of 136 tries in 123 games.<ref name="wiganrlfans" /> During the war, Bradley served as a [[Driver (rank)|Driver]] in the [[Royal Field Artillery]] regiment [[96th Brigade (United Kingdom)|96th Brigade]] unit.<ref name="wiganarchives" />
-Lewis Bradley changed codes from rugby union to rugby league in 1911, when he transferred from [[Pontypool RFC]] to [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] for a signing-on fee of £200 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £74,330 in 2017),<ref name="Measuring Worth - Relative Value of UK Pounds">{{cite web|url=http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/|title=Measuring Worth - Relative Value of UK Pounds|publisher=Measuring Worth|date=31 December 2018|accessdate=1 January 2019}}</ref> and £5 expenses, he  made his début for [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] in the 17-15 victory over [[Wakefield Trinity]] at [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park]], [[Wigan]] on Saturday 2 December 1911, he scored his first try for Wigan in the 17-15 victory over [[Wakefield Trinity]] at [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park]], [[Wigan]] on Saturday 2 December 1911, he was described by the [[Wigan Post|Wigan Observer and District Advertiser]] as being ''"Quick off the mark he was often past his opposing threequarter before the latter realised Bradley had the ball. Shall we ever forget this speedy wing threequarter at Central Park? He was the idol of the crowd and it only seems like yesterday that he was dashing down the touchline, his long flowing hair blowing in the wind, those long raking strides, and that final natural swerve"'', he scored 117-[[Try|tries]] in 106-matches (1.1-tries per match) for Wigan in the pre-[[World War I]] seasons, he scored 136-[[Try|tries]] in 123-matches (1.1-tries per match) for Wigan between 1911 an 1918, he scored his last try for Wigan in the 7-12 defeat by [[Warrington Wolves|Warrington]] at the [[Wilderspool Stadium]], [[Warrington]] on Saturday 2 December 1916, and he played his last match for Wigan in the 5-8 defeat by [[Broughton Rangers]] [[Central Park (Wigan)|Central Park]], [[Wigan]] on Saturday 2 February 1918.<ref name="Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com"/>
+On 18 June 1918, he sustained multiple [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|shrapnel]] wounds while in action on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in France. Bradley later died from his wounds on 20 June 1918. He is buried in the Vignacourt British Cemetery in France, and he his honoured at the Wigan Cenotaph.
 ==References==
-{{Reflist}}
+{{Reflist|2}}
 ==External links==
@@ Line 61: / Line 66: @@
 *[https://forest-of-dean.net/fodmembers/index.php?id=1185 Details at forest-of-dean.net]
 *[http://wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=7&id=20669&gallery=Wigan+Rugby+Players&offset=200 Details at wiganworld.co.uk]
-*[https://archives.wigan.gov.uk/entity/62674-lewis-bradley Details at archives.wigan.gov.uk]
-* {{webarchive| url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060127085822/http://www.wlct.org/Culture/Heritage/pf37.pdf |date=20060127 |title=Past Forward – Issue No. 37 – Juky–November 2004}}
-*[https://www.allgoldsrugby.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/All-Golds-v-Keighley-Cougars-Final-LR.pdf All-Golds-v-Keighley-Cougars-Final-LR]
-*[http://www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk/AllGlosPubsDatabase/RAIGConnection.php?pubid1=1500 Roebuck at gloucestershirepubs.co.uk]
 *[https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results?basicsearch=%22Lewis%20Bradley%22&retrievecountrycounts=false Search for "Lewis Bradley" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk]
 *[https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results?basicsearch=%22Lew%20Bradley%22&retrievecountrycounts=false Search for "Lew Bradley" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk]
-* Vignacourt British Cemetery, [[Somme (department)|Somme]], France. {{coord|50|00|33|N|2|12|23|E|display=inline,title}}
 <!--{{Wigan - 1911–12 Championship Final runners-up}}-->
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 [[Category:1889 births]]
 [[Category:1918 deaths]]
+[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
+[[Category:British military personnel killed in World War I]]
 [[Category:English rugby league players]]
 [[Category:English rugby union players]]
-[[Category:People from Westbury-on-Severn]]
+[[Category:Sportspeople from Westbury-on-Severn]]
 [[Category:Pontypool RFC players]]
+[[Category:Royal Field Artillery soldiers]]
+[[Category:Rugby league players from Gloucestershire]]
 [[Category:Rugby league wingers]]
-<!--[[Category:Rugby union wings]]-->
+[[Category:Rugby union players from Westbury-on-Severn]]
+[[Category:Rugby union wings]]
 [[Category:Wigan Warriors players]]
+[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]