| William Lely | |
| Birth Name: | William Gerald Lyall Lely |
| Birth Date: | 15 July 1886 |
| Birth Place: | London, England |
| Death Place: | Easthampstead, England |
| Ru Position: | Prop |
| Ru Amateuryears: | - |
| Ru Amateurclubs: | Fettesian-Lorettonians Cambridge University London Scottish |
| Ru Province: | |
| Ru Provinceyears: | 1908 |
| Ru Nationalteam: | Scotland |
| Ru Nationalyears: | 1909 |
| Ru Nationalcaps: | 1 |
| Ru Nationalpoints: | (0) |
William Lely (15 July 1886 – 30 January 1972) was a Scotland international rugby union player.[1]
He was schooled in Fettes College, Edinburgh.
He played for Fettesian-Lorettonians and was selected for their tour of England in December 1908,[2] and played in their match against Leicester on 30 December.[3]
He went to Emmanuel College and played for Cambridge University.[4]
He also played for London Scottish.
He played for the Anglo-Scots side against the Provinces District side on 26 December 1908, while still with Cambridge University.[5]
He was capped once for Scotland, in 1909.[6]
He played cricket for Fettes College.[7]
Later, in 1938, he played for Old Fettesians against the School.[8]
In 1939, he presided over the Old Fettesians dinner in London.[9]
He became a Director of Wallace and Company. They were agents for the Bombay-Burma Trading Company.[10]
He became President of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce.[10]
He later became a Director of the National Bank of India.[11]
His parents were James Durward Lely (c.1853-1944) and Alice Frances Hurndall; and his maternal grandfather was Watkin Lucy Hurndall (1824-1895). James Durward Lely was from Angus in Scotland. Jame's father and William's paternal grandfather was an elder of Cray church in Glenshee for over 40 years.[12]
James and Alice had sons Durward and Cyril, as well as William.[12]
William married Dorothy Ruth Hurndall (1887-1977), his cousin, on 12 January 1915 in Yangon, Myanmar. Her father was Watkin Frank Hurndall (1855-1922), a son of Watkin Lucy Hurndall.