Anthony Henniker-Gotley
Encyclopedia
Anthony Henniker-Gotley was a rugby union
international who represented England
from 1910 to 1911. He also captained that country.
, Warwickshire
. He was the son of a vicar, the Revd George Henniker Gotley MA.
. At his previous school, West Downs School
, Winchester
a boarding school for boys aged between eight and thirteen, he had been an avid cricketer, playing in the first XI in 1899 to 1901. After Tonbridge he went up to Oxford University and there received his Blue in 1909. At a club level he played for Blackheath FC and at a representative level played for Barbarian FC (playing in the Barbarians: v Leicester 1909 match ending 9-9) as well as county rugby for both Surrey and Kent.
Henniker-Gotley made his international debut on March 3, 1910 at Parc des Princes
in the France
vs England
match.
Of the 6 matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on 4 occasions. He played his final match for England on Mar 18, 1911 at Twickenham
in the England
vs Scotland
match.
Henniker-Gotley was also an early British and Irish Lion, representing the Combined British in the 1910 tour of Argentina
, in which he featured in the only international match against the host nation.
in 1911. During the First World War he served in the North Rhodesia Police and served in East Africa
. He was a political officer in Tanganyika
from 1918 to 1923 and called to the Bar in 1923. He then became the District Commissioner in Tanganyika in 1923, and served in this capacity until 1926. From 1926 he went into business in Durban
until 1933 and then became Bursar and assistant master at St Columba's College, Dublin, from 1934 to 1936.
From 1936 he acted as a Temporary Education Officer for the Royal Air Force
and then served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
as a Flight Lieutenant
in Fighter Command. After the outbreak of the Second World War he was promoted to Squadron Leader
in 1941. Following the war he was a civilian Substitution Officer with the RAF until 1947.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international who represented England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
from 1910 to 1911. He also captained that country.
Early life
Anthony Henniker-Gotley was born on March 2, 1887 in TysoeTysoe
Tysoe is a civil parish located in Warwickshire, England, north-west of Banbury. The three main settlements in the parish, Upper, Middle and Lower Tysoe are on a hill, hence the respective village names. Upper and Middle Tysoe have now merged, whereas Lower Tysoe is still separate, a little...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. He was the son of a vicar, the Revd George Henniker Gotley MA.
Rugby union career
Henniker-Gotley played as a Scrum half for his school, Tonbridge SchoolTonbridge School
Tonbridge School is a British boys' independent school for both boarding and day pupils in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd . It is a member of the Eton Group, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies...
. At his previous school, West Downs School
West Downs School
West Downs School, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, was an English independent preparatory school, which was established in 1897 and closed in 1988.-History:...
, Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
a boarding school for boys aged between eight and thirteen, he had been an avid cricketer, playing in the first XI in 1899 to 1901. After Tonbridge he went up to Oxford University and there received his Blue in 1909. At a club level he played for Blackheath FC and at a representative level played for Barbarian FC (playing in the Barbarians: v Leicester 1909 match ending 9-9) as well as county rugby for both Surrey and Kent.
Henniker-Gotley made his international debut on March 3, 1910 at Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
in the France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
vs England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
match.
Of the 6 matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on 4 occasions. He played his final match for England on Mar 18, 1911 at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in the England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
vs Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
match.
Henniker-Gotley was also an early British and Irish Lion, representing the Combined British in the 1910 tour of Argentina
1910 British Lions tour to Argentina
The 1910 British Lions tour to Argentina is a retrospective term applied to the tour of Argentina made by a side made up of 16 English players and 3 Scots. The organisers of the tour named the team the "English Rugby Union team", but the host country advertised the touring team as the Combined...
, in which he featured in the only international match against the host nation.
Career outside sport
Henniker-Gotley moved to RhodesiaRhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
in 1911. During the First World War he served in the North Rhodesia Police and served in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. He was a political officer in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
from 1918 to 1923 and called to the Bar in 1923. He then became the District Commissioner in Tanganyika in 1923, and served in this capacity until 1926. From 1926 he went into business in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
until 1933 and then became Bursar and assistant master at St Columba's College, Dublin, from 1934 to 1936.
From 1936 he acted as a Temporary Education Officer for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and then served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
as a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
in Fighter Command. After the outbreak of the Second World War he was promoted to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
in 1941. Following the war he was a civilian Substitution Officer with the RAF until 1947.