....... who played both League and Union 1895-1914. Played for his home-country during the 1897 NZ All-Blacks Rugby-Union tour of Australia but later switched sides and played for the latter against New Zealand in a League Test in 1908. He played internationally for Australia in both codes between 1897 and 1914 and he was one of the first dual-code Rugby players. Bill Hardcastle served with the AIF in the World War I. He was a Private in the 3rd Infantry Battalion seeing active service as a machine gunner. He embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on 3 June 1916 at age 42 and fought on the Western Front - He survived the war and was demobilised in the weeks immediately after the armistice - but played no more rugby after the war He died in Sydney, Australia.
Bill Hardcastle - Australia Full name William Robert Hardcastle Born August 30, 1874, Wellington Died July 11, 1944, Randwick (aged 69 years ) Major teams Australia Position Flanker
Hardcastle, William R played for Australia Internationals: 2 : 1899 GB- ; 1903 NZ- William Hardcastle was born on 30 August 1874 in Wellington, New Zealand Played as a Forward for Petome High School, Wellington, Glebe, New South Wales Profession: Miner/grocer War service: 5680, Pte 3rd Battalion Reinforcements. He enlisted on 17 January 1916 and departed Australian on HMAT Kyarra (A55) on 3 June 1916. He transferred to the Machine Gun Battalion, and returned to Australia on 20 November 1918. Remarks: He played 2 times for NSW in 1898. Toured Australia with New Zealand in 1897. Joined the Rugby League and toured the UK with the Australian team in 1908. He died on 11 July 1944 in Randwick.
