We Will Remember Them

On this day, the nation pays tribute to the service personnel and civilians who put their lives at risk – and sometimes sadly paid the ultimate price – in the cause of freedom, in both World Wars.

St. Helens R.F.C. looks at a tale of two scrum-halves, one from each conflict, who experienced different fortunes on the battlefield.

Arthur Kelly, from Petone, who came to Britain with the 1907 New Zealand tourists [the ‘All Golds’], later became the club’s first overseas signing, [Heritage #180] playing 63 senior matches. In later years he was Captain Coach of the A team that won the Lancashire Shield in 1913-14.

When war was declared in August 1914, Arthur had travelled down to Shepherd’s Bush, London to enlist in the 2nd King Edward’s Horse, a cavalry regiment with ties to Britain’s overseas dominions. After months of preparation and initial cavalry training, the soldiers were ordered to surrender their horses and prepare to fight on foot.

Arthur arrived in France on 3rd June 1915 and, according to his great-granddaughter, Josie Robinson, rose to the rank of Farrier Sergeant.

“His letters home to his parents in Petone offered a fascinating, if sobering, glimpse into the realities of his wartime experience,” says Josie.

“In one letter, he described the heavy losses suffered by his regiment, reporting that around 200 of his comrades had already been put out of action. He told his parents that his men had spent almost eight months in the trenches, enduring conditions that must have tested even the most hardened soldier.”

Those in the trenches had a hellish existence with a 22% chance of being killed and a 64% chance of being wounded. Those who survived, like Arthur, had witnessed unimaginable scenes of carnage that stayed with them for the rest of their lives.

Arthur survived the First World War and returned to England. He lodged in Oldham on Napier Street and married Alice Kelly. Arthur worked as a foundry worker in the town and passed away in his adopted town in 1965, aged 78.

For many, however, their luck on the battlefield was sadly to run out. On 6th March 1937, scrum-half Harry Briscoe, the former Parr Central School player and St Helens Town Schoolboys captain, made his debut at home to Swinton.

One local newspaper correspondent was amazed by his selection: “Fathers of the rugby league and historians have been looking up records to see if they could find another case of where a boy, six weeks after his sixteenth birthday, has turned out for a senior rugby league team without ever playing in the A team or even a trial game. Briscoe was signed on his schoolboy forms and Briscoe was signed on his schoolboy forms and he replied on Saturday by giving a sample of 80 minutes of honest-to-goodness schoolboy rugby.”

Harry [Saints Heritage #463] was an elusive customer around the scrum base and went on to make 85 appearances for the club, scoring 8 tries before his sporting career was put on hold by the outbreak of war. Like so many in our town, he was to answer the call of King and country. He was a member of the Royal Army Service Corps [Service #T/264673] and was later co-opted into the Number 2 Commando group.

Sadly, Harry was killed in action during operations at Fossa Marina, East of Argenta, Italy, on 17th April 1945, just before hostilities ceased. He is buried at Ravenna Cemetery, in northeastern Italy, one of 926 casualties from both World Wars who reside there. The inscription on Harry’s gravestone is particularly poignant: ‘Resting where no shadow falls in perfect peace he awaits us all.’

There is no question that but for the outbreak of the terrible global conflict, Harry would have been a staple in the number 7 jersey at Knowsley Road for many years. His dash and skill in the red and white jersey from such a young age and his courage on the battlefield will never be forgotten. A proud man of St Helens, for sure.

Fast forward to this year and Saints’ fan Sarah Corrigan shares an emotional story about a visit to Harry’s final resting place: “As a family we were presented with Harry’s Heritage Number shirt last year at the game commemorating the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. As proud as Dad [Harry’s cousin] was to receive the shirt from Eamonn McManus that day, I knew that its journey wasn’t over. After a difficult few months with the sudden death of my mum, Sue, I surprised my dad, Chris, by asking him to join me and my son, Kaiden, on a trip to Italy with a planned visit to pay our respects to Harry and the other fallen at Ravenna War Cemetery.

“On 8th August we left Manchester Airport with some very special cargo and, after landing in Bologna, drove to Ravenna War Cemetery to take Harry’s heritage number shirt to his final resting place. We had also brought a small cross that schoolchildren from Parr had made on a visit to St Peter’s Church to learn about the people who are named on the War Memorial there, of which Harry is one, and placed it on his grave.

“The Cemetery is in a beautifully peaceful area, and it’s hard to imagine the horrors that Harry and his comrades faced in the surrounding fields, but as the sun was setting, it was an honour to be there representing our family and the Saints’ family, paying tribute to one of our own and recognising one small part of the life he sacrificed for our freedom.”

Thanks again to Josie and Sarah for their help with this special commemoration.