Charles Stuart (rugby union) explained

Charles Stuart
Birth Date:18 May 1887
Death Place:Glasgow, Scotland
Ru Position:Forward
Ru Amateuryears:-
Ru Amateurclubs:Drumchapel RFC
Uddingston RFC
Clydesdale
London Scottish
West of Scotland
Rowans Engineers RFC
Ru Provinceyears:-
1911
Ru Nationalteam:Scotland
Ru Nationalcaps:7
Ru Nationalpoints:(3)
Ru Nationalyears:1909-11

Charles Douglas Stuart (18 May 1887 – 15 January 1982) was a Scotland international rugby union player.[1] He often added Junior to his name; to differentiate from his father who had a similar career path. His regular playing position was Forward.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Stuart began his rugby union career at Drumchapel RFC. He was a sporting all rounder excelling in not only rugby union but also football and cricket. As a young man in the Drumchapel side he was picked out - along with T. Inglis, C. L. Vermont and C. H. Stewart. - as starring in a match at Thirdpart against Hillhead HSFP 2XV.[2] [3]

The football club Glasgow Rangers were interested in signing the young man. This did not please his rugby loving father who instead sorted a move to Uddingston RFC for the player.[4]

Stuart was later to move to Clydesdale and then London Scottish.[4]

Stuart also played for West of Scotland.[1]

Provincial career

Stuart played for Glasgow District in the inter-city match against Edinburgh District.[5]

Stuart played for the Blues Trial side against the Whites Trial side on 21 January 1911 while still with West of Scotland.[6]

International career

Stuart was capped seven times for between 1909 and 1911.[1] [7]

Cricket career

Stuart played cricket for Poloc. He was Poloc's first century maker and played cricket well into the 1920s.[4] [8] [9]

Engineering career

Stuart got a job as an Engineer with Rowans Engineering working in the oil industry. This was to curtail his international career. At the age of 23 he moved to Burma with Rowans.[4]

While at Rowans he organised a rugby side, Rowans Engineers RFC; run as an invitational side. The basis of the side were players from Uddingston, Clydesdale and West of Scotland.[10]

Stuart never forgot his first club Drumchapel - and for many years he took his invitational side back there; and the Drumchapel - Rowan Engineers match became the traditional preseason opening fixture for the Thirdpart side.[10]

Journalism career

Later in life Stuart followed in the footsteps of his father and became a sports journalist writing for the Glasgow Herald; concentrating on rugby union and cricket matches.[4]

Family

Stuart's father Charles Douglas Stuart Senior played for Royal HSFP; a forward of the famous Nat Watt's Lambs side.[11] Senior was also a journalist for the Glasgow Herald.[4] Like his son Charles junior he enjoyed rugby and cricket. He died in 1933 at the age of 73.[11]

Stuart's younger brother Ludovic Stuart was also capped for Scotland in the 1920s.[1]

Stuart Junior's 90th birthday lunch was attended by 8 of Scotland's union Presidents - 4 from the Scottish Rugby Union and 4 from the Scottish Cricket Union.[4]

References

Sources
  1. Bath, Richard (ed.) The Scotland Rugby Miscellany (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007)

Notes and References

  1. Bath, p137
  2. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  3. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  4. Web site: The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search. news.google.com.
  5. Web site: The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search. news.google.com.
  6. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  7. Web site: Charles Douglas Stuart. ESPN scrum.
  8. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  9. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  10. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  11. News: Register . March 17, 2023 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.