WINFIELD, HERBERT BENJAMIN (1879-1919), Wales and Cardiff Rugby full-back; b. 1879 at Leicester, he was brought to Cardiff as a boy by his parents, his father, Ben Winfield, being one of the pioneers of public laundries in South Wales. He was one of the best-known full-backs in the country and he played in that position in the memorable game between Wales and New Zealand on the Cardiff Arms Park in 1905. He played his first game for Wales against Ireland in 1903, and when he played his last game for Wales, against Australia, in 1909, he had been ‘capped’ fifteen times. He also captained the Cardiff XV for some time. Winfield was also a first-class golfer, and played in the final of the Welsh Golfing Union Championship in 1912. When war broke out in 1914, Winfield was commissioned in the Cardiff City Battalion with which he went to France. He and Gwyn Nicholls were married to two sisters, and they both carried on an extensive laundry business in Cardiff and elsewhere. He d. 21 Sept. 1919 at Porthcawl in a motor-cycle accident. http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-WINF-BEN-1879.html
Winfield, Herbert Benjamin played for Wales Internationals: 15 : 1903 I+ ; 1904 E= (2c 1gm) S+ (3c 1p) I- ; 1905 NZ+ ; 1906 E+ (2c) S+ I- ; 1907 S- (1p) I+ (2c 1p) ; 1908 E+ (2c 1p) S+ F+ (2c 1p) I+ (1c) A+ (1p) Herbert Winfield was born in 1879 in Nottingham Played as a Full back for: Cardiff, London Welsh Profession: Laundry owner. Business partner with his brother in law, E Gwyn Nicholls. War service: Lieutenant, 16th (Cardiff City), Battalion, The Welsh Regiment, 115th Brigade, 38th (Welsh Division). The battalion wore a special “Arms of Cardiff” collar badge. He was invalided back to the United Kingdom in 1916. Remarks: Being born in Nottingham, Bert Winfield was qualified to play for England, and he missed an England trial due to an injury before opting to play for Wales. He was renowned as an excellent kicker, both in general play and from place kicks. He drew the match v England [14-14] at Leicester in 1904 with a goal from a mark after Welsh forward W Joseph caught the ball on the Welsh side of half way when England were leading 14-10. However, he received some blame when playing v Ireland when he let the ball bounce before attempting to gather it. Joseph Wallace, an Irish forward, took the ball and scored a try. Winfield was regarded as the best Fullback faced by the 1905 All Blacks, especially after he shepherded his pack through the victorious International with long line kicks. When attempting to convert Cardiff’s last try against the Springboks in 1907, the wind blew the ball back before it reached the cross bar! Played for Glamorgan County (16-3 [1p]) v the 1908-1909 Wallabies, but missed the Cardiff match against the tourists due to a dislocated thumb suffered in the match v The Barbarians (6-5) a week before. He was killed in a motor cycle accident at Porthcawl on 21 September 1919.
I came across this article when I was looking for Bert ... thought it maybe of interest - some familiar names included in there .... !! A century since Wales first won Grand Slam Welsh rugby has always been a compelling soap opera and exactly 100 years ago this season - despite having four separate captains in the four games - they pulled off the first Grand Slam - not that the term had been invented then. That came in 1957 when a bridge-playing sub-editor on The Times used the term to describe England's clean sweep that season. It all started with one of the most bizarre games in Championship history, against England at a fog-bound Ashton Gate - the home of Bristol City FC, which had been pressed into service while Twickenham was being built. Nearly 25,000 spectators turned up and although nine tries were apparently scored they saw virtually nothing. Captained by A H Harding, the London Welsh lock who soon after emigrated to New Zealand, Wales won 28-18 but it was the eerie conditions that remained the chief talking point. Never had so many tries been scored by so many and seen by so few. "In the second half, no spectators could be seen from the centre of the field," recalled Wales centre Rhys Gabe. "The scoring was phenomenal because we had to rely more on our ears than our eyes to discover where the ball was bouncing." The Daily Telegraph's anonymous correspondent recalled that "the occupants of the stands frequently lost sight of both teams. It was a singular game played amid exasperating circumstances." Next came Scotland at Swansea, where the Pill Harriers hooker George Travers, the coal trimmer from Alexandra Docks in Newport, clocked on as captain and guided his side to a slightly fortunate 6-5 win over Scotland. Very few Grand Slams are ever won without a bit of luck or a scare along the way. On this occasion Wales were clinging on to a precarious 6-5 lead in the final minute when Scotland's loose forward, Irvine Geddes, appeared to have scored but the try was disallowed for a double movement. This was just three years after Bob Deans' famous try had been disallowed for New Zealand in Cardiff for exactly the same reason. Talking of which, one of the chief dramatis personae that day was Dr E T 'Teddy' Morgan he scored the solitary Welsh try to beat the All Blacks and also made the the crucial tackle on Deans. In 1924 he allegedly provided a "written confession" to the All Blacks captain Cliff Porter admitting that Deans did indeed score. Anyway, back to 1908 and Morgan was recalled for his final appearance for Wales as captain for the next game, Wales' inaugural international against emerging France which they won 36-4, scoring nine tries in the process. England also met France that season - and won 19-0 - but Scotland and Ireland declined to play the young upstarts who they considered inferior opposition. Just as well France didn't adopt such a policy in reverse in recent decades. Onwards and upwards and Wales now faced a tricky journey to Belfast - by ferry of course in those days - to meet Ireland in the "Grand Slam" decider. In January 1901, ahead of the game against England, the immortal Billy Bancroft had been chosen as full-back and captain but on the eve of the game a telegram purporting to come from Bancroft was delivered to Walter E Rees, secretary of the WRU. "Regret can not play tomorrow, influenza, Bancroft." A nervous Winfield was drafted in to make his debut, Gwyn Nicholls made captain and the cards listing the teams printed to that effect. Only on the morning was it discovered that the telegram was a hoax and, rather cruelly, Winfield was sent back home and Bancroft reinstated. No such high-jinks in Belfast where tries from Reggie Gibbs - who had notched four against the French - and the dashing Johnnie Williams, who scored 17 tries in his 17 Tests and was only twice on the losing side. As a sad postscript, Williams was to die young, gunned down at Mametz Wood in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and Winfield died in 1919 from injuries received in a motorbike accident. www.telegraph.co.uk/gallagher
