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.
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]
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]
Stuart was capped seven times for between 1909 and 1911.[1] [7]
Stuart played cricket for Poloc. He was Poloc's first century maker and played cricket well into the 1920s.[4] [8] [9]
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]
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]
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]