This is one of a series of posts to mark the international Rugby players who served in, and survived, 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 Coulson, Thomas John played for England Internationals: 3 : 1927 W+ ; 1928 New South Wales + W+ Thomas Coulson was born on 31 December 1896 Played as a Prop/No 8 for: Gloucester, Coventry, Warwickshire, Midland Counties Profession: Aircraft fitter War service: 4th Hussars & Royal Flying Corps? He died on 26 March 1948
7 Jan 1928 England 18 - 11 Australia Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 62,000 William Taylor (3 - 1t) Colin Laird (3 - 1t) Sam Tucker (3 - 1t) Joe Periton (3 - 1t) James Richardson (6 - 3g) Eric Ford (6 - 2t) Cyril Towers (3 - 1t) Tom Lawton (2 - 1g) England played with the wind at their backs in the first half and made all the running. A dash down the wing, a centering kick and the flanker J.S Tucker was over for a try which was converted 5-0 to England. Wallace made several breaks in the centre and then told Cyril Towers to loop outside him when he broke again. The move was executed brilliantly and with the conversion the scored were tied 5-5.(Zavos) "Up till half-time, the game had been fast and brilliant, with the Englishmen having a commanding lead of 10 points (15-5) at the interval. Soon after the change over, the locals increased their lead with another try and it was from then that the game reached such a height as a spectacle that it caused the press to place it in number-one position as the greatest game ever seen in England. Even champions of the past, great supporters of bygone games, conceded that the efforts of the Waratahs to make up a deficit of 13 points during the concluding 20 minutes was productive of the finest football imaginable".(Towers) The Waratahs showed their great fighting spirit by going into an extra-Waratah mode, attacking from everywhere, with John Ford, the massive number 8, taking the ball up time after time. Towers scored 18-8. Then the winger Eric Ford raced through the England defence 18-11. The Waratahs were still attacking the England line desperate to snatch the victory, when the full-time whistle blew. The crowd roared its appreciation of a great game of rugby, with the applause continuing long after the players had retired to the changing rooms and the hot tubs. (Zavos) AUSTRALIA: Alex Ross, Eric Ford, Syd King, Cyril Towers, Johnnie Wallace, Tom Lawton, Syd Malcolm, Harold Woods, Jock Blackwood, Bruce Judd, Geoff Storey, Huck Finlay, Blue Greatorex, Jack Ford, John Breckenbridge ENGLAND: Monkey Sellar, William Taylor, Carl Aarvold, James Richardson, Thomas Devitt, Colin Laird, Arthur Young, Edward Stanbury, Sam Tucker, Ron Smith, David Turquand-Young, Kendrick Stark, Thomas Lawson, Thomas Coulson, Joe Periton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1927-28_Waratahs_tour_of_the_British_Isles,_France_and_Canada
Colin Laird was mentioned here and I have a snippet about him ... * The honour of being the youngest starter belongs to Henri Colin Campbell Laird, of Harlequins, who was first capped against Wales at Twickenham in 1927. Laird was born in Sept 1908 and was just 18 years and 124 days old when he made his debut for England in an 11-9 victory over Wales at Twickenham. Laird was schooled at the Nautical College in Pangbourne and went on to win 10 England caps over the next two years, tasting defeat only twice and scoring five tries in the process. He was ever-present during England's Grand Slam in 1928.
