Walter Jesse Jackson
Encyclopedia
Walter Jesse Jackson was an English
rugby union
forward who played international rugby for the British Isles
and England
.
, the first official tour by the team that would later become the British Lions. It is unknown if Jackson joined the tour party late, was unwell or just not chosen to play, but he missed the first four matches of the tour, not playing until the team faced Griqualand West
at Kimberley
on 20 July. From there he played in four of the next six games though missing the First Test against South Africa
. His final match of the tour was against a King William's Town & District team, played on 6 August, despite there being a further 11 matches remaining.
On returning to Britain Jackson continued playing rugby, but between 1891 and 1894, switched from Gloucester to Halifax
, who were at the time still a rugby union team. It was while representing Halifax that Jackson was selected for his one and only appearance for the England national team. Played away against Scotland, Jackson was brought into the England team for the final match of the 1894 Home Nations Championship
, but after playing in the pack for the British Isles, was placed on the wing for England. The match ended in defeat for England, their first loss in five visits to Scotland; and the English selectors reacted by never selecting nine of the England players again, Jackson being one of them.
code to the rugby league
code on the 29th August 1895, Walter Jesse Jackson would have been approximately 25 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Halifax.
district. If the date of birth on ESPNscrum is correct, this would have made him 88 at the time of his death, however FreeBMD quotes the age at death as being 87.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
forward who played international rugby for the British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
and 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...
.
Rugby career
Jackson first came to note as a rugby player while representing Gloucester. In 1891 Jackson accepted an invitation to join the British Isles on their tour to South Africa1891 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1891 British Isles tour to South Africa was the first British Isles rugby union tour of South Africa and only the second overseas tour conducted by a joint British team. Between 9 July and 7 September, the team played 20 games, including three tests against the South Africa national rugby union...
, the first official tour by the team that would later become the British Lions. It is unknown if Jackson joined the tour party late, was unwell or just not chosen to play, but he missed the first four matches of the tour, not playing until the team faced Griqualand West
Wildeklawer Griquas
The GWK Griquas are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Hoffe Park Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as GWK Park in Kimberley, and they draw their players from Northern Cape Province. They were previously known as...
at Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
on 20 July. From there he played in four of the next six games though missing the First Test against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. His final match of the tour was against a King William's Town & District team, played on 6 August, despite there being a further 11 matches remaining.
On returning to Britain Jackson continued playing rugby, but between 1891 and 1894, switched from Gloucester to Halifax
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
, who were at the time still a rugby union team. It was while representing Halifax that Jackson was selected for his one and only appearance for the England national team. Played away against Scotland, Jackson was brought into the England team for the final match of the 1894 Home Nations Championship
1894 Home Nations Championship
The 1894 Home Nations Championship was the twelfth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 6 January and 17 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, but after playing in the pack for the British Isles, was placed on the wing for England. The match ended in defeat for England, their first loss in five visits to Scotland; and the English selectors reacted by never selecting nine of the England players again, Jackson being one of them.
Change of Code
When Halifax converted from the rugby unionRugby 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...
code to the rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
code on the 29th August 1895, Walter Jesse Jackson would have been approximately 25 years of age. Consequently, he may have been both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Halifax.
Note
ESPNscrum states Walter Jesse Jackson's date and place of death as being 1 December 1958 in Halifax, FreeBMD quotes the death as being registered during January→March 1959 in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
district. If the date of birth on ESPNscrum is correct, this would have made him 88 at the time of his death, however FreeBMD quotes the age at death as being 87.