St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
One (Start)
Transcript
David ‘Dai’ Samuel wore this jersey on the 7th March 1891, in his debut for the Welsh side. It is the oldest jersey in the St Helen’s archive. Alongside other objects also in the Dai Samuel trail, this jersey is on permanent display at St Helen’s, kindly on long term loan from the Samuel family.
This object marks the start of the audio trail. It will stop at each notable item, taking a moment to describe each object as it appears today. As such, the trail covers a period between 1887 & 1893.
Being the oldest jersey in the collection, you may expect it to be time-worn and affected by the passing years. But in 2021 the Samuel family still had it neatly preserved in a drawer in their home, and as a result, the original vivid red is still very much evident. The Prince of Wales feathers on the breast show only slight wear, but are still clearly defined. The jersey is long sleeved, with a small white collar. There is no number on the back, that innovation not reaching Welsh jerseys until 1905. Aside from a little fraying to the collar and one cuff the jersey remains vibrant and very well looked after.
To tell the story of Dai Samuel, we must also share the focus with his brother John, known to most and henceforth as Jack. Jack Samuel made his debut for Swansea RFC a season before his brother, in 1888 to 89. In the November of 1889, the following season, Dai Samuel played alongside his brother in Swansea’s second fifteen, or ‘reserves’.
Soon enough, by the end of the 1889-90 season, both Samuel’s played in Swansea’s 1st fifteen. Being skilled dribblers of the ball and especially effective in a line out, their path to success was clear and evident, Dai having only played three matches for the seconds. He made his debut for the firsts against a strong English side away at Gloucester in December 1889. The brothers would soon become first choice forwards in a Swansea pack that included Welsh caps William ‘Billy’ Bowen, John Meredith, Tom ‘Canary’ Williams, Walter Rice Evans, Dai Morgan and W. H. Howell. By the following season, in March of 1891, Dai and Jack won their Welsh caps against Ireland, as Dai donned this very jersey.
Dai Samuel’s Swansea RFC player legacy number is #258. Being a local boy from Manselton he also played for the Manselton Rangers, Morriston, Swansea, and Glamorgan County in that club’s first ever season.
Please don’t forget to click next to follow the rest of this audio trail…