Charles Brown (19 December 1887 – 2 April 1966) 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 halfback, Brown represented 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 1913 and 1920. He played nine matches for the All Blacks including two internationals. During

World War I 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 ...

, Brown served with the Field Engineers as 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 ...

. He played for the New Zealand Division team that won the

Somme Cup The Somme Cup is a rugby trophy first won by a New Zealand Army team, known as the Trench Blacks, during World War I in 1917. It is claimed that around 60,000 people watched the match, which was won 40-0 by the New Zealand team. The cup depicts a ...

in 1917 and, after the end of the war, for the New Zealand services team that toured Britain and South Africa. Brown went on to coach at club level at Taranaki, and served as a Taranaki selector in 1925 and from 1932 to 1946, a North Island selector between 1947 and 1948, and also as a national selector. He was also a member of the management committee of the Taranaki Rugby Union from 1940 to 1950. Brown died at

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

on 2 April 1966, and was buried at Awanui Cemetery.

References

1887 births 1966 deaths Rugby union players from New Plymouth New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Taranaki rugby union players Rugby union scrum-halves New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand rugby union coaches New Zealand referees and umpires Burials at Awanui Cemetery {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1880s-stub