Frank Whitmore Mellish, MC (26 April 1897 – 21 August 1965) was a

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 ...

footballer who played internationally for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. After his rugby career, he served as a selector for the South African team and as the manager of the 1951 Springbok tour of the British Isles and France. Mellish was born in

Rondebosch Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town. History Four years after the first Dutch s ...

, Cape Town,

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

where he attended

Wynberg Boys' High School Wynberg Boys' High School is a public English medium boys high school situated in the suburb of Wynberg of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Founded in 1841, it is one of the best academic schools in Cape Town, it is the ...

Rondebosch Boys' High School Rondebosch Boys' High School is a public English medium high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is one of the topmost academic schools in South Africa and one of th ...

, and SACS. During World War I, he served in South-West Africa as a gunner with the

Cape Town Highlanders The Cape Town Highlanders is a reserve mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army. History Origins Descendants of Scottish immigrants to South Africa raised the Cape Town Highlanders in 1885. On 24 April of the same year, their se ...

in the South African Heavy Artillery from 1914 to 1915. On 15 May 1915 he sailed on the ''SS City of Athens'' to Europe where he received the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for action at

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

in 1916. He undertook officer training in England, followed by a stint at the Royal Artillery Cadet School before his promotion to 2nd Lieutenant (and later acting Lieutenant). He then served on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

with the South African Heavy Artillery where he was wounded in the left leg in April 1918. He relinquished his commission on 1 June 1919. After the War he played for

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

and was elected a

Barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...

in the 1919–20 season. His test début for

came on 17 January 1920, against Wales, playing in the position of Flanker. He represented England on five more occasions, against France, Ireland and Scotland (1920), and Wales and Ireland (1921). He was then chosen to represent South Africa in the first Springbok tour of New Zealand in 1921. Following his rugby career he worked as a business executive with United Tobacco Company Ltd and as a flower farmer. However, on the outbreak of World War II, he served as a colonel in the South African Armoured Division. Following the war he returned to rugby where he represented South Africa on the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

from 1945 to 1946. He took over as the convener of the national selectors after

Bill Schreiner Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

and as the manager of the 1951 Springbok tour of the British Isles and France.

Danie Craven Daniël Hartman Craven (11 October 1910 – 4 January 1993) was a South African rugby union player (1931–1938), national coach, national and international rugby administrator, academic, and author. Popularly known as Danie, Doc, or Mr R ...

rated him the best Springbok manager of all time. His daughter, Margaret, married Major Sir Wilfred Robinson, 3rd Bt. in 1946. Mellish died on 21 August 1965 and his ashes were scattered at

Newlands Stadium The Newlands Stadium, referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all-seater venue. Various sports teams use the stadium as their ho ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mellish, Frank 1897 births 1965 deaths South African rugby union players English rugby union players South Africa international rugby union players Alumni of Rondebosch Boys' High School Blackheath F.C. players Barbarian F.C. players Recipients of the Military Cross Villager FC players England international rugby union players People from Rondebosch Rugby union flankers Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Cape Town