Billy Geen
Encyclopedia
William "Billy" Purdon Geen (14 March 1891 – 31 July 1915) was a Welsh
international rugby union
wing who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire
. Geen was selected for Wales
on three occasions.
but was educated at Haileybury College
in England before being accepted into Oxford University. While at Oxford he was selected to play against Cambridge in 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913. He joined Newport Rugby Club in 1910 and on October 24, 1912 was a member of the squad that faced the touring South African
team. Geen was not first choice for the game, but when George Hirst failed to recover from an injury sustained ar Leicester the week before, Geen was his replacement. It was an outstanding game for Newport, who won the game 9–3, one of only three teams to beat the Springboks on the tour and Geen played his part, bringing down Johan Stegmann when he was within sight of the try line. Geen was praised after the match for his play and later during the tour he gained his first cap for Wales against the same touring South Africans. Geen played just two more games for Wales, the first under the captaincy of team mate Tommy Vile
in 1913 against England. His final game for Wales was in a win against Ireland two months later.
. He trained in Petworth
and was sent to the Front in May 1915. Originally his battalion was withdrawn from combat, but two days later it was sent to support the 41st Brigade at the Second Battle of Ypres
. By the time he was killed in action at Hooge, Flanders
he had reached the rank of Second Lieutenant
. He has no grave but is remembered at Menin Gate
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international rugby union
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...
wing who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire County RFC
Monmouthshire County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Monmouthshire that originally played rugby at county level...
. Geen was selected for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
on three occasions.
Rugby career
Geen was born in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
but was educated at Haileybury College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
in England before being accepted into Oxford University. While at Oxford he was selected to play against Cambridge in 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913. He joined Newport Rugby Club in 1910 and on October 24, 1912 was a member of the squad that faced the touring South African
1912-13 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1912–13 South Africa rugby union tour was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
team. Geen was not first choice for the game, but when George Hirst failed to recover from an injury sustained ar Leicester the week before, Geen was his replacement. It was an outstanding game for Newport, who won the game 9–3, one of only three teams to beat the Springboks on the tour and Geen played his part, bringing down Johan Stegmann when he was within sight of the try line. Geen was praised after the match for his play and later during the tour he gained his first cap for Wales against the same touring South Africans. Geen played just two more games for Wales, the first under the captaincy of team mate Tommy Vile
Tommy Vile
Major Thomas Henry "Tommy" Vile MBE was a Welsh international rugby union player. He played club rugby predominantly for Newport, captaining the side twice and played county rugby for Monmouthshire. He also represented the British Isles in Australia, and after retiring from playing became an...
in 1913 against England. His final game for Wales was in a win against Ireland two months later.
International matches played
Wales 1913- IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
1913 1912
Military career
In August 1914, Geen signed up to serve his country, joing the 60th Royal Rifle Regiment CorpsKing's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
. He trained in Petworth
Petworth
Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east-west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twelve miles to the south west of Petworth along the A285 road...
and was sent to the Front in May 1915. Originally his battalion was withdrawn from combat, but two days later it was sent to support the 41st Brigade at the Second Battle of Ypres
Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
. By the time he was killed in action at Hooge, Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
he had reached the rank of Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. He has no grave but is remembered at Menin Gate
Menin Gate
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
.