Herbert Norman

Penarth RFC is saddened to announce the death of its oldest player, Herbert George Norman, who died last week a few months short of his 100th birthday.

“Bert” Norman was very proud of his link to the club he played for on both sides of the Second World War, having followed into the footsteps of his father Israel Norman, who played for Penarth at the beginning of the 20th century.

Interestingly, while his father’s relationship with the club is well documented by a photograph of the 1906/07 Penarth Athletic XV , there is no equivalent photo of Herbert though, as the club’s precarious finance did not allow the hiring of a photographer for the 1946 Barbarians match, in which he played.

After the outbreak of the Second World War, Penarth RFC wing-forward Herbert George Norman, turned up for his Royal Engineers battalion and regimental teams during his commando training at Chatham.

“We played quite a bit of rugby, but once I got injured during my commando training, I had to stop playing. Mind you, once I recovered, I started playing again, to keep fit,” Norman recalled.

When he returned from the war, he re-joined Penarth and was selected for the Barbarians match, played on Friday, April 19, 1946, the first fixture against the illustrious visitors after the war.

The Penarth team line-up for that historic match comprised three guest players, including C.Derek Williams, Stan Barrett and Eddie Knapp : J ‘Codger’ Donovan, Mike Hunt, VE Harrison, C Derek Williams, AC Jones, Eddie R Knapp, George Parsons, Jimmy Gibson, Jimmy Kelleher, Lyn Lloyd, Stan Barrettt, Jim Corsi, Bill Tunsich, Herbert Norman and Lindsay Morgan (captain).

The Barbarians were also strengthened by the selection of two of the visiting New Zealand Army tourists, the famous 1946 Kiwis, EG Boggs and WA Meates, who both became All Blacks not long afterwards. Herbert Norman’s opposite number was a highly promising Cambridge Blue, the up-and-coming Michael Roland ‘Micky’ Steele-Bodger, who was to be soon capped by England and is now the President of the Barbarians club.

A couple of years ago, Norman, heard that the Barbarians were training at the Rec for their match against Wales, and turned up to meet his former opponent, 55 years after their epic encounter on the Penarth field.