Dr. James Robertson Campbell Greenlees

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

DSO & Bar (14 December 1878 – 16 May 1951) was a Scottish

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, physician and teacher. As a sportsman he played club rugby for

Cambridge University R.U.F.C. The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, sometimes abbreviated "CURUFC", is the rugby union club of the University of Cambridge. The team plays Oxford University RFC in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham Stadium every December. ...

and

Kelvinside Academicals RFC Kelvinside Academicals is a former rugby union team that played their home games at Balgray Playing Fields, Glasgow, Scotland. The team was founded in 1888 by former pupils of the Kelvinside Academy. The team no longer exists. In 1982 it merg ...

and international rugby for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. After leaving international rugby he became a referee, officiating at Test level.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Greenlees first came to note as a rugby player when he was chosen for the Cambridge University team in his first year at St. Johns. He won four sporting Blues playing in

The Varsity Match The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford University RFC, Oxford and Cambridge University R.U.F.C., Cambridge in England. The event began in 1872 with the first men's match, with interruptions ...

each year from 1898 to 1901, and became university rugby club captain in 1900.

Provincial career

He played for

Anglo-Scots Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people ...

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

. He played for Glasgow District against Edinburgh District in the 1902 Inter-City match. Although the match ended a 0 - 0 draw, the ''Glasgow Herald'' noted that it was highly creditable to Glasgow.

International career

While still playing at Cambridge, Greenlees was selected to represent Scotland in the

1900 Home Nations Championship The 1900 Home Nations Championship was the eighteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Table Results ...

, facing

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on 24 February. The game ended in a nil-nil draw and Greenlees was not chosen for the final game of the tournament. Greenlees missed the entire 1901 Championship, but played in all three matches of the 1902 Home Nations Championship, a terrible campaign for Scotland that resulted in three losses. The Scottish selectors kept faith in Greenlees and he was part of the 1903 team. After the disappointment of the previous campaign, Scotland responded by winning all three matches, taking the Championship title and the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

. In the final match of the Championship, played at Richmond against

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 ...

, Greenlees was given the captaincy after regular captain

Mark Coxon Morrison Mark Coxon Morrison (2 April 1877 – 10 May 1945) was a Scottish international rugby union footballer who captained both Scotland and the British and Irish Lions. Rugby Union career Amateur career Morrison played for Royal HSFP. He played ...

was unavailable. It would be Greenlees' final international game.

Referee career

After leaving international rugby, Greenlees kept his connection with rugby by becoming a referee. He refereed the 1912 inter-city match between Glasgow District and Edinburgh District. He officiated two international games, the

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

encounter between Ireland and England, and the England versus Wales match of

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

. He also refereed the

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 ...

match with

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

Administrative career

For the 1913–14 season he was

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...

Medical career

He was educated at

Kelvinside Academy Kelvinside Academy is an independent day school in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (primary school), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and ...

and later

Loretto School Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. History The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. L ...

; he matriculated to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

in 1898. He gained his

Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1907, and was a physician in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

from 1906 through to 1926. He worked at

Western Infirmary The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015. History After the University of Glasgow moved from the city ...

and the Sick Children Hospital, both based in the city. In 1938 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

Ivan De Burgh Daly Ivan de Burgh Daly (14 April 1893 – 8 February 1974) was a British experimental physiologist and animal physiologist who had a specialist knowledge of ECG use and was awarded a Beit Fellowship in this field in 1920. Together with Shells ...

, Sir David P D Wilkie,

Robert Alexander Fleming Robert Alexander Fleming FRSE (1862-1947) was a Scottish pathologist and medical author who served as President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 1927–29. Life He was born in Dundee the son of Emma Lyle and Robert Whillans Flem ...

and Sir John Fraser.

Military career

With the outbreak of World War I, Greenlees joined the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

and was posted to France. On 12 August 1915 he was promoted to temporary captain in the 22nd Field Ambulance; he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order that same year. He was later posted to the 98th Field Ambulance, achieving the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. In 1917 he was awarded a Bar to his DSO, and the next year he was made

Chevalier of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Greenlees was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

on four occasions.

Teaching career

In 1926 he became headmaster of his former school, Loretto. Originally brought in as temporary cover after the untimely death of his predecessor, another Scotland international rugby union player Allan Smith, Greenlees became a permanent appointment. He intended to retire as head in 1939, but due to the outbreak of World War II he continued in his post until 1945.8. Dr J.R.C. Greenlees, 1926–1945
lorettoschool.co.uk

Family

Greenlees was born in

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and to t ...

, Scotland in 1878 to Matthew Greenlees and Wilhelmina Alexander Campbell. In 1922 he married leading Scottish

girl guide Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

pioneer Allison Hope Cargill.

Death

James and Allison Greenlees grave in Inveresk Cemetery

He died in 1951 and was buried against the west wall of the otherwise Victorian section of

Inveresk Inveresk (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Inbhir Easg'') is a village in East Lothian, Scotland situated to the south of Musselburgh. It has been designated a Conservation area (United Kingdom), conservation area since 1969. It is situated on s ...

Cemetery, west of St. Michael's Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenlees, James 1878 births 1951 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War I Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Glasgow District (rugby union) players Kelvinside Academicals RFC players People educated at Kelvinside Academy People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh Presidents of the Scottish Rugby Union Royal Army Medical Corps officers Rugby union forwards Rugby union players from Partick Scotland international rugby union players Scottish Districts referees Scottish educators Scottish Exiles (rugby union) players Scottish rugby union players Scottish rugby union referees