William Stormont (25 August 1898 – 4 June 1925) was a New Zealand

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

player who represented

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. His parents were John Stormont (1 Aug 1863 – 23 September 1936), a pastry chef and baker, and Annie Stormont nee Brownlie (7 July 1871 – 7 Dec 1944).

Playing career

Stormont played for Marist in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He represented

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

and was first selected for the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

in 1920 following Aucklands 24-16 win over the touring English team. Stormont was the first member of the Marist club to be selected for the Kiwis. He played in all 3 tests in the #10 prop position against the touring England team in 1920. New Zealand lost the 3 matches 7-31 at the Auckland Domain, 3-19 at

Lancaster Park Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 eart ...

, and 10-11 at the

Basin Reserve The Basin Reserve (commonly known as "The Basin") is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It has been used for Test matches, and is the main home ground for the Wellington Firebirds first-class team. The Basin Reserve is the only crick ...

. Film of Stormont playing for Auckland against the 1924 touring English team can be seen at the Ngā Taonga Sound and vision archive.

Military career

Stormont enlisted in the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

on 11 May 1917 aged 18 using a false birthdate (25/4/1897).
"Archway online service record" At the time, recruits were required to be 19 to be posted overseas. He was meant to travel on ship 93, the Corinthic, but was AWOL at departure. His war record contains details of his court marshal and disciplinary record. He retrained as a Machine Gunner and traveled to the United Kingdom on 31 December 1917 on ship 99, the Athenic. He was hospitalized on arrival with Influenza for 5 days in early April 1918 and did not travel to France until June 1918. His war record also lists hospitalization for bunions in December 1918.

Later Years and Death

He returned to play rugby league for Marist in 1920, later becoming the club captain. Stormont died from

rheumatic heart disease Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...

on June 4, 1925 after a long battle with illness aged 26. The William Stormont Memorial Shield was presented to the Auckland Rugby League by the Stormont family. That same year, Ponsonby defeated City 35-3 to become the first holder of the Stormont Shield.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009'', 2009. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stormont, William New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand national rugby league team players Auckland rugby league team players Marist Saints players Rugby league props New Zealand military personnel of World War I 1898 births 1925 deaths