Stanley "Docker" Winmill (5 May 1889 – 25 June 1940) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

international rugby union player who played club rugby for

Cross Keys Cross Keys or Crosskeys may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Crosskeys, Wales ** Crosskeys railway station ** Crosskeys College, a campus of Coleg Gwent * Crosskeys Bridge, a swing bridge in Lincolnshire, England * The Cross Keys (disambiguatio ...

and county rugby for

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

. He won four caps for Wales, playing in all four matches of the

1921 Five Nations Championship The 1921 Five Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship following the inclusion of France into the Home Nations Championship. Including the previous Home Nations Championships, this was the thirty-fo ...

Rugby career

Winmill was a one club player, remaining with Cross Keys for his entire career. He captained the club on two occasions, in 1912-13 and for a three-year period between 1919-1922. His brother Joe was a notable player for Abertillery and both brothers were selected to play at county level for Monmouthshire. Winmill surpassed his brother Joseph in 1921 when he was selected for international duty, brought into the Wales team for the 1921 Five Nations Championship. His first match was against England at Twickenham, brought into the front row. The game ended in a solid win for England, Wales losing 18-3. His next match, at home against Scotland, also ended in a loss. Despite two losses on a run the Welsh selectors kept faith with Winmill and the final two matches of the tournament, at home to France and away to Ireland, both ended in Welsh victories.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 473. * 1921 * 1921 * 1921 * 1921

Personal life

Winmill was born in

Bedwellty Bedwellty is a small village in Caerphilly County Borough in south Wales. The village stands on a ridge of high ground between the Rhymney and Sirhowy valleys. The village comprises a parish church, public house and a few houses. The ancient pa ...

. A collier by trade, he worked down the

Nine Mile Point Colliery Nine Mile Point colliery was a coal mine at Cwmfelinfach in the South Wales Valleys, originally known as "Coronation Colliery", and constructed between 1902 and 1905. The deepest shaft was 1,176 feet deep. Seven men were killed on 13 August 1 ...

and in 1935 he was one of the 164 men who took part in the stay-down strike against

scab labour A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the str ...

. As a collier he lost an eye in an industrial accident, and later became a police officer working at his old colliery. In 1940 he tripped over a rail at the mine and injured his head in the fall, dying from the wound on 25 June.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winmill, Stanley 1889 births 1940 deaths Cross Keys RFC players Monmouthshire County RFC players Rugby union players from Bedwellty Rugby union props Wales international rugby union players Welsh miners Welsh police officers Welsh rugby union players Officers in Welsh police forces