St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Item
CP045
Object ID
CP045
Type
Rights Holder
Swansea RFC Memorabilia Community Interest Company
Provenance
Aled Williams
Season
Description
Cap, Swansea, 1923-1924 season. Blue (now faded to brown) with 'SFC' monogramme on front and '1923-24' on brim. Silver tassels.
Info
This is the Swansea RFC 1st XV cap of Jack Elwyn Watkins (Swansea RFC Player Legacy Number #738). He played for Swansea from 1923 to 1929 as a centre three-quarter and captained the club twice (1925-26 and 1926-27). J E Watkins was born in Pontardawe in 1899 or 1900 and hailed from Abercrave. He joined Swansea RFC from Cardiff College.
Elwyn played 134 matches for Swansea during his career and in his second season was part of the Swansea team that played and lost (3 - 39) to the second All Blacks (the 'Invincibles' ) at St Helen's. In the same season he was a member of the Swansea team that played in all white kit (now with white shorts) against Leicester on 10 January 1925 (match won 14 - 8 at St Helen's). In his first season of captaincy (1925-26) he was the club's top try scorer with 14. This was not an especially successful period for the club and Elwyn had the misfortune to skipper the side that lost 20 matches in a season for the first time.
But Watkins remained a very popular captain and personality at St Helen's and retained the captaincy for 1926-27 when he led Swansea in their match against the New Zealand Maoris on 23 October 1926 to a narrow 6 - 11 loss. Watkins also turned out for Swansea against the NSW Waratahs (lost 0 - 11) on 1 October 1927 under Dai Parker's captaincy.
This cap was presented the the St Helen's Archive by former Swansea and wales player Aled Williams. Aled's family came by the cap due to a family friendship with Watkins. When Aled's wife's uncle aged then 10 yrs old, was informed at Llandovery College that his father had died, Elwyn Watkins went to visit him there and gave him the cap, a kind gesture by a great but modest player. We are grateful to Aled and his family for returning the cap to its spiritual home at St Helen's.
Elwyn played 134 matches for Swansea during his career and in his second season was part of the Swansea team that played and lost (3 - 39) to the second All Blacks (the 'Invincibles' ) at St Helen's. In the same season he was a member of the Swansea team that played in all white kit (now with white shorts) against Leicester on 10 January 1925 (match won 14 - 8 at St Helen's). In his first season of captaincy (1925-26) he was the club's top try scorer with 14. This was not an especially successful period for the club and Elwyn had the misfortune to skipper the side that lost 20 matches in a season for the first time.
But Watkins remained a very popular captain and personality at St Helen's and retained the captaincy for 1926-27 when he led Swansea in their match against the New Zealand Maoris on 23 October 1926 to a narrow 6 - 11 loss. Watkins also turned out for Swansea against the NSW Waratahs (lost 0 - 11) on 1 October 1927 under Dai Parker's captaincy.
This cap was presented the the St Helen's Archive by former Swansea and wales player Aled Williams. Aled's family came by the cap due to a family friendship with Watkins. When Aled's wife's uncle aged then 10 yrs old, was informed at Llandovery College that his father had died, Elwyn Watkins went to visit him there and gave him the cap, a kind gesture by a great but modest player. We are grateful to Aled and his family for returning the cap to its spiritual home at St Helen's.
Keywords
j e watkins, jack elwyn watkins, 1923-24, cap,
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