William Spiers Glenn (21 February 1877 – 5 October 1953) 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 who played for 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 ...

on their 1905 tour. He later became a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Early life

Glenn was born in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

in 1877 and moved to

Manaia, Taranaki Manaia is a rural town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. Ōpunake is 29 km to the northwest, and Hāwera is 13 km to the southeast. Kaponga is 15 km north. State Highway 45 passes through the town. Manaia is named after ...

, with his family as a child. He was a keen sportsman, and as well as playing rugby, he became secretary of the Manaia Tennis Club. He was a member of the Egmont Racing Club and owned several race horses. In 1904, Glenn was elected a member of the Manaia Town Board. He owned a dairy farm on the Waimate plain.

Rugby union career

Glenn was a loose forward, and occasionally played at hooker. He became a rugby representative in 1899. He made his All Blacks debut in 1904, playing against the touring

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

team. He subsequently toured with the 1905 Originals. In all, Glenn played 19 matches for the All Blacks, including two test matches. He scored no points and never played in a losing All Blacks side.

Military service

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 ...

, Glenn served with the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

, reaching the rank of second lieutenant. In 1916, he was awarded 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 conspicuous gallantry and ability as an observing officer. His citation reads that "he was exposed to heavy shell fire for several hours, but with great coolness and judgment corrected the fire of his battery throughout, and sent back constant reports on the situation."

Parliamentary career

Glenn was elected to the Rangitikei electorate in the 1919 general election, but was defeated in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

. He was the first All Black to be elected to the New Zealand Parliament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, William 1877 births 1953 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand international rugby union players New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross New Zealand sportsperson-politicians Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs Rugby union hookers Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Greymouth Taranaki rugby union players Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election