SPORTINGWALES ISSUE SEVEN COVER STORY

rugby
THE AMAZING STORY OF THE
WELSHMEN IN THE 1946 RUGBY
LEAGUE TOUR OF AUSTRALIA AND
NEW ZEALAND
An incredible reunion took place deck and stoked coal into the boilers to to a draw. They moved onto New Zealand
at the birthplace of rugby league keep themselves ﬁ t. and won over there too.
a few weeks ago for, arguably,
the best touring side to leave Their long voyage around the world was The Welshmen involved on that tour read
British shores to tour down nearing and end in Australia when, to their like a Who's Who of rugby league giants.
under. surprise, the Great Britain team were told They were:
to disembark.
Sixty-three years ago, under the captaincy Gus Risman - Captain and on his third tour
of the legendary Gus Risman, the Great The Indomitables were supposed to be of Australia. Born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff. He
Britain Lions - containing 11 Welshmen - leaving the aircraft carrier in Sydney to played 873 matches, kicked 1,678 goals and
set sail for a six-month trip which was to prepare for the ﬁ rst Test. Instead, they scored 232 tries amassing 4,052 points. He
cement their names into the all-time Hall were dropped off at the nearest port was 41 when he received the Challenge
of Fame. possible - Perth That was 2,550 miles from Cup at Wembley in 1952 then captain of
their destination or the distance between Workington Town.
They were 'The Indomitables' and London to Iraq!
the legend of that 1946 tour is just as Arthur Bassett - Winger who was born at
incredible as the story behind the reunion And their, in a strange country with just Kenﬁ g Hill, Bridgend in 1914. At 19 years of
at the George Hotel, Huddersﬁ eld, the the bags they carried and clothes they age after rising quickly through the junior
Rugby League Heritage Centre, in the stood up in, they were left to their own ranks of Welsh rugby, he was selected to
exact room where the 'Northern Union' devices to cross the barren Outback and play for Wales against Ireland in 1934 and
chose to break away from Rugby Union on make Sydney in time to start their tour. won a further ﬁ ve Welsh caps. He later
August 29 1895. signed for Halifax RL.
Their sudden departure in Perth,
By today's standards, the rigours that though, was due to a greater need. HMS Willie Davies - Half back who was born
The Indomitables untook on their way to Indomitable had to be rushed to Singapore in 1916, and played rugby for Wales
Australia were incredible. There were no to collect numbers of injured Prisoners of Secondary Schools alongside his cousin,
luxuries of long-haul, ﬁ rst class ﬂ ights as War who had been incarcarated in Changi Welsh Union legend Haydn Tanner. From
the British and Irish Lions Rugby Union during the Japanese occupation in the war. 1937 to 1939, he won ﬁ ve Welsh rugby
squad will have on their way to South union caps and soon afterwards joined
Africa this month nor the attention to So, after ﬁ ve weeks on a ship, the tourists Bradford Northern. He won the Lance
detail in preparation to beat their host boarded a train in Perth and spent the next Todd Trophy when Bradford beat Leeds to
nation. week passing through the endless wildness win the Challenge Cup a Wembley in 1947.
on their way to New South Wales.
This was at a time when the world was in Trevor Foster - Second row, born in
chaos and some team - any sporting team - Restlessly, they wandered the train during Newport in 1914. He signed for Bradford
were invited to go down under to Australia the day before evening came and the Northern in 1938 for £400. He went on
and help the colonials lift their spirits after pioneers drew lots to discover who would to play 438 games for Bradford and scored
the suffering and dreadful consequences of get the privilege of sleeping in wire-netted a remarkable 130 tries as a back row
the Second World War. luggage racks for the night - and who would forward. He also scored six tries in one
get the 'short straw' and have to sleep game. He represented Wales RL 16 times
A 'Great Britain' rugby league side was sat upright in the hot and overcrowded being captain on seven occasions.
chosen to go after a personal plea from carriages.
the Australian Government to their Fred `Ginger' Hughes - Prop forward who
counterparts in Westminster. Thus, the They only stopped at army camps along ﬁ rst played rugby union for his home town
tourists assembled, although the 'Great the route to get food but, incredibly, they club, Llanelli, before moving on to Swansea.
Britain' team were known to the Aussies eventually arrived in Sydney - to a hero's He moved to Cheltenham RFC and was
The Indomitables
as 'English'. welcome. then signed by Barrow in 1936. He later
moved to Workington Town, working
They endured ﬁ ve weeks of travel aboard And, after all those hardships, incredibly, closely with Gus Risman. He is the father
SW
aircraft carrier HMS Indomintable, where The Indomitables went on to beat the of the famous footballer Emlyn Hughes,
46
their illustrious nickname arose. For all Aussies to win the Ashes by two vctories who played for Liverpool and England.
those weeks, they trained on the ﬂ ight
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