John A'Bear (16 July 1913 – 3 October 1979)Profile of John A'Bear at Gloucester Rugby Heritage
/ref> was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. He played club rugby for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and was their youngest captain. Although he never won a cap for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, he did tour Argentina with the British Isles team in 1936.

Early life

John Gordon A’Bear was born in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

on 16 July 1913, the son of James Horace A'Bear (1879–1945), an ironmonger, and his wife, Nellie (née Winstone) (1885–1958). He had an older sister, Lottie, (born 1912) and two younger siblings, Charles (b. 1916) and Nellie (b. 1921). He was educated at

The Crypt School The Crypt School is a grammar school with academy status for boys and girls located in the city of Gloucester. Founded in the 16th century, it was originally an all-boys school, but it made its sixth form co-educational in the 1980s and moved ...

, Gloucester.

Rugby career

John played for Gloucester from 1933 until 1939 and was also selected to represent his county, Gloucestershire, from 1935 to 1939. He was a part of the

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

winning side of 1936–37. At the age of 24, A'Bear became Gloucester's youngest Captain and continued his captaincy the following season. His record in his first year of captaincy was 29 wins from 36 matches. As a second row, he formed a solid and famous partnership with Digger Morris and was best man at Digger Morris's wedding. They were also known for their rendition of "The Pig Song" as after-match entertainment. John was never capped for

, but was an international due to his selection for the tour Argentina with the British Isles team in 1936. In 1936, he was a reserve for an England trial at Bristol. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he played a number of matches for Gloucester and for representative sides but, due to business commitments, retired in 1946.

Family and later life

John married his first cousin, May A'Bear (born 1914, Montreal) in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. She was the daughter of Alfred A'Bear and Edith Stirling. They had two children, both born in Gloucester, Suzanne (born 1942) and Judith (born 1944). John died in 1979.A'Bear family history generation 16
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abear, John 1913 births 1979 deaths British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England English rugby union players Gloucester Rugby players Gloucestershire County RFU players People educated at The Crypt School, Gloucester Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Cheltenham 20th-century English sportsmen