The Rev Thomas "Tom" Henry Hollingdale AKC (12 November 1900 – 14 April 1978), was a Church of England cleric and Wales international rugby player.

Rugby career

Thomas Hollingdale was born in Waunarlwydd on 12 November 1900. He attended Waunarlwydd School and Gowerton County School. He played his club rugby for

Ammanford Ammanford ( cy, Rhydaman) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with a population of 5,411 at the 2011 census. It is a former coal mining town. The built-up area had a population of 7,945 with the wider urban area even bigger. Acco ...

and

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

and captained Glamorganshire. In September 1927, he played for a combined Aberavon and Neath XV against the touring

New South Wales Waratahs The New South Wales Waratahs ( or ;), referred to as the Waratahs, are an Australian professional rugby union team representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super Rugby competition. The Riverina and other southern parts of the state, ...

and a few weeks later, played for Wales against the Waratahs – this is now treated as a full international. He was capped in total six times for Wales in the late 1920s. On 26 November 1930 he played for a Welsh International XV against Reading, but never again represented his country.

International matches played

* 1927 * 1928 * 1928 * 1928 * 1928, 1930

Subsequent career

Hollingdale was employed in the local steel works and later as a policeman (PC number 22 on the Neath Police Force), before studying theology at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, where he became an

Associate of King's College The Associateship or Associate of King's College (AKC) award was the degree-equivalent qualification of King's College London from 1833. It is the original qualification that King's awarded to its students. In current practice, it is an optional ...

(AKC). Following his ordination, he worked as a curate in Upminster and subsequently as vicar of the parish of Stratford in East London. From 1948 to 1959 he was vicar of St Peter's, Colchester — a living controlled by the Simeon Trust. During this time he contributed articles to rugby magazines and other publications and was President of Colchester RFC. Thereafter, he became rector of the parish of Copford, Essex until he retired in 1968.Local History
copfordchurch.org.uk He married Leah Williams in April 1921 at

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 ...

and they had three daughters – Joan, Mercia and Muriel (who was known by her second name, Shirley). He died on 14 April 1978 in Hounslow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollingdale, Thomas Welsh rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Rugby union number eights Church of England priests 20th-century Welsh Anglican priests 20th-century Church of England clergy Alumni of King's College London 1900 births 1978 deaths Associates of King's College London Neath RFC players Glamorgan County RFC players Ammanford RFC players Rugby union players from Swansea