Beethoven Algar (28 May 1894 – 28 November 1989), commonly known as Beet, was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. A

back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column run ...

who played in any position from first five-eighth to wing, Algar represented

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, in 1920 and 1921. He played six matches for the All Blacks, including one as captain, but did not appear in any internationals. Following the death of Bill Francis in 1981, Algar was the oldest living All Black.

Early life

Beethoven Algar was born on 28 May 1894 in

, New Zealand, the son of Clara Doris (née Hoskin; 9 November 1860 – 5 April 1928) and Albert Eric Algar (1845 – 19 August 1909). Algar was the fourth of five children. Algar was named after German composer

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

by his musical mother. He also had an older brother Haydn, named after Austrian composer

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

. Algar’s family originally lived on Taranaki Street in Wellington until his parents separated in 1901. He moved with his father and siblings to the Wellington suburb of

Worser Bay Worser Bay in Wellington, New Zealand is along the beach from Seatoun and over the hill from Miramar on the Miramar Peninsula. It has a calm sandy beach with a road running along the base of the Seatoun Heights hill. Houses run all along the hi ...

. Prior to the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he worked for his brother as a joinery apprentice in

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

. He also played club rugby for Poneke.

Early rugby career

Algar made his debut for

in 1914 as a 20 year old. He scored a try and a drop goal in their challenge of

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

for the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

, which Wellington won 12–6. He continued to play for Wellington in 1915 before joining the

Wellington Mounted Rifles The Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment was a mounted infantry regiment from New Zealand, raised for service during the First World War. It was assigned to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Th ...

in August 1915.

Military service

On 13 November 1915 Algar departed New Zealand with the 8th Reinforcements heading for Egypt, arriving there on 18 December 1915. His responsibility in Egypt was to look after a number of the horses that were part of the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. Seeking more action in the war effort, he transferred to the

Imperial Camel Corps The Imperial Camel Corps Brigade (ICCB) was a camel-mounted infantry brigade that the British Empire raised in December 1916 during the First World War for service in the Middle East. From a small beginning the unit eventually grew to a brigad ...

in July 1916. He also acted as a bodyguard and escort for

T.E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...

. He eventually reached the rank of sergeant with the Imperial Camel Corps. Algar fought in the

Battle of Magdhaba The Battle of Magdhaba took place on 23 December 1916 during the Defence of Egypt section of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War.The Battles Nomenclature Committee assigned 'Affair' to those engagements between forces small ...

on 23 December 1916 and the

Battle of Rafa The Battle of Rafa, also known as the Action of Rafah, fought on 9 January 1917, was the third and final battle to complete the recapture of the Sinai Peninsula by British forces during the Sinai and Palestine campaign of the First World War. T ...

on 9 January 1917. Algar then took part in three battles around Gaza, getting wounded in the buttock on 30 November 1917. He was evacuated to Cairo by camel, nine days before

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

was captured. His wound became infected but he was able to avoid amputation. While recovering at Port Said rest camp he was declared no longer fit for active service, invalidating him home to New Zealand. He was discharged from the army on 27 November 1918.

Return to New Zealand

After returning home, Algar worked with his brother running a building company in Kilbirnie. He also returned to playing rugby with Poneke and Wellington in 1919. He helped Wellington defend the Ranfurly Shield in 1919 and 1920 and was selected for the

for there 1920 tour of Australia. Algar made his debut for New Zealand on 10 July 1920 in a pre-tour match against

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

, which was drawn 11–11. Algar scored a try in the game. He also captained the All Blacks for his first and only time in their next game against a combined Manawatu-

Horowhenua Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

team, which New Zealand won 39–0.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Algar, Beethoven 1894 births 1989 deaths Rugby union players from Wellington City New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Wellington rugby union players Rugby union centres Rugby union fly-halves New Zealand military personnel of World War I Rugby union wings