James W. Brough

James "Gentleman Jim" Wasdale Brough

(1903-1986)

- A Famous English Rugby Player and Coach -

Genealogical Information on James Wasdale Brough

Name: James Wasdale Brough

Born: 5 November 1903, Silloth, Cumberland, England

Died: 16 September 1986 (age 82), Workington, Cumbria, England

James Wasdale Brough from Wikipedia (2010):

James "Gentleman Jim" Wasdale Brough was a rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the of the 1920s and '30s who at representative level played for England (RU), Cumberland (RU), Great Britain (RL), and England (RL), and at club level for Silloth RUFC (RU), and Leeds (RL), played at Fullback (RU), i.e. number 15, Fullback (RL), or Centre (RL), i.e. number 1,3 or 4. He was one of England's first ever dual-code rugby international.

'Gentleman' Jim Brough made two international rugby union appearances for England while he was playing with Silloth RUFC. His Test debut was in January 1925 against New Zealand at Twickenham, and two weeks later he appeared against Wales. He turned professional in 1925, joining Leeds and won caps for England (RL) in 1926 against Wales and Other Nations; in 1928 against Wales; in 1929 against Other Nations; in 1932 against Wales; in 1933 against Other Nations; in 1934 against Australia; in 1935 against France and Wales; in 1936 against Wales and France, and won caps for Great Britian (RL) while at Leeds (RL) in 1928 against Australia (2 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches); and in 1936 against Australia.

James Wasdale Brough from Wikipedia (2015):

James "Gentleman Jim" Wasdale Brough (5 November 1903 - 16 September 1986) born in Silloth, Cumberland, was an English dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s and '30s, and rugby league coach of the 1950s, playing representative level rugby union (RU) for England, and Cumberland, and at club level for Silloth RUFC, as a Fullback, i.e. number 15, and playing representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain (Captain), and England, and at club level for Leeds, as a Fullback, or Centre, i.e. number 1, 3 or 4, and coaching representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, and at club level for Workington Town, he died in Workington, Cumbria.

International honours: Jim Brough made two international rugby union appearances for England (RU) while he was playing with Silloth RUFC. His Test début was in January 1925 against New Zealand at Twickenham and two weeks later he appeared against Wales. He changed code and turned professional in 1925, joining Leeds and won caps for England (RL) in 1926 against Wales, and Other Nationalities, in 1928 against Wales, in 1929 against Other Nationalities, in 1932 against Wales, in 1933 against Other Nationalities, in 1934 against Australia, in 1935 against France, and Wales, in 1936 against Wales, and France, and won caps for Great Britain (RL) while at Leeds in 1928 against Australia (2 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches), and in 1936 against Australia (Captain).

County honours: Jim Brough represented Cumberland (RU) while at Silloth RUFC, including the 14-3 victory over Kent in the 1924 County Championship at Carlisle.

Challenge Cup final appearances: Jim Brough played Fullback in Leeds' 11-8 victory over Swinton in the 1931-32 Challenge Cup final at Central Park, Wigan, on Saturday 7 May 1932, then was Captain in the 18-2 victory over Huddersfield in the 1935-36 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 18 April 1936, he missed the 19-2 victory over Halifax in the 1940-41 Challenge Cup final at Odsal Stadium, Bradford, and played Fullback in the 15-10 victory over Halifax in the 1941-42 Challenge Cup final at Odsal Stadium, Bradford.

Club career: Jim Brough made his début for Leeds against York at Headingley Stadium on Wednesday 2 September 1925.

International honours: Jim Brough was the coach of Great Britain (RL).

Challenge Cup final appearances: Jim Brough was the coach of Workington Town in the 12-21 defeat by Barrow in the 1955 Challenge Cup final during the 1954-55 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 30 April 1955, and the 9-13 defeat by Wigan in the 1958 Challenge Cup final during the 1957-58 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 10 May 1958.

Honoured at Silloth RUFC: In 2005 in honour of Jim Brough, Silloth RUFC renamed its ground, The Jim Brough Rugby Park.

Genealogical information: Jim Brough's marriage to Florance Annie Carr was registered during April-June 1928 in Wigton district. They had children; Rachel M. Brough, Frances A. Brough, the golfer Samuel J. Brough (1931(33?) - 2014), Joseph C. Brough, and the twins the golfer Florance Poinsettia Pamela Brough (b. 1936), and Joyce Brough. Jim Brough was also the grandfather of the organist and composer Michael Brough (b. 1960), present organ curator at Holy Trinity Sloane Street.

James Wasdale Brough from Leeds Rugby:

'Gentleman' Jim Brough must rank as one of the finest captains and servants in the history of the [Leeds] club. In a career spanning nearly twenty years, the Cumbrian born former England RU international gained a reputation for being one of the finest and innovative full backs in the code and an inspirational leader. His signing by Leeds in September 1925 was an enormous coup and his friendly rivalry with the likes of Jim Sullivan at Wigan and Warrington's Bill Shankland were focal points of matches. Their kicking duels were legendary but his impeccable defence and ability to turn that into searing attack with a sidestep or clean break became his trademarks. A Challenge Cup winner also in 1932 and ten years later he enjoyed enormous success leading Cumberland and England in a glittering career. In 1936 he led Leeds to their first ever success at Wembley.

Prior to joining Leeds Jim had already played for the England rugby Union against New Zealand and Wales and had even tried his hand at football, where he signed trialist forms for Liverpool as an understudy goalkeeper. He made his international debut in the first Test against Australia in on the 1928 tour and in 1936 captained the side. In 1958 Jim became the first coach ever appointed to a Great Britain touring team, and that side became one of the most successful ever, being the only touring side to score over 1000 points.

James Wasdale Brough from Silloth Rugby:

One of the youngest men ever to play for England, James Wasdale Brough, the Silloth (Cumberland) fisherman who is a member of the Leeds team is an outstanding personality in professional rugby. He played for his Country when he was twenty; a year before this he had gained his first cap for Cumberland and he has appeared for that county regularly ever since. Brough plays at full-back or centre-threequarter and, in addition to being chosen to represent the English League, has played in Test matches in Australia and New Zealand. A splendid amateur golfer, Brough has won the Cumberland & Westmorland Championship.

Brough Ancestry and Genealogy of James Wasdale Brough

William Brough (b.abt.1650), married Grace Brigg in 1679 in Holme Cultram, Cumberland.

William Brough (chr.1683), married Mary Brigge in 1705 in Holme Cultram, Cumberland.

Joseph Brough (chr.1728), married Jane Pringle in 1764 in Holme Cultram, Cumberland.

Joseph Brough (chr.1770), married Ann Hewson in 1795 in Wigton, Cumberland.

Robert Brough (chr.1815), married Betty Hodgson in 1838 in Holme Cultram, Cumberland.

Thomas Hodgson Brough, (b.1857), married Mary Elizabeth Hetherington in 1894 in Westnewton, Cumberland.

James Wasdale Brough (b.1903-d.1986), married Florance Annie Carr in 1928 in Silloth, Cumberland.

Family History Moments: A Secret Drawer

LDS Church News article, Deseret News newspaper , August 6, 2015

(Text and photo of article shown below)

The phone call came from a lady in Atlanta, Georgia, who we didn’t even know. She said she had discovered some pictures while cleaning out an old desk her mother had purchased from an antique store and that had been stored in an attic after her mother died. While going through the desk she had discovered a “secret drawer” which contained a number of black-and-white pictures.

When the lady phoned [my cousin,] Richard [L.] Brough of Kaysville, Utah, she mentioned that one of the pictures contained the autographed name of “Jimmy Brough, 1929,” but that there were no other clues as to who he was or why the photos were placed in a hidden compartment in the desk. She asked Richard, who was an officer of the Brough Family Organization of Utah, if he or family researchers could help her find out who were in the pictures and where they came from. Following her phone call the lady sent Richard a package containing high-quality photocopies of all the pictures that had been placed in the desk.

After several days of scouring the Internet, family researchers determined that the well-preserved photographs from Georgia were actually those of James (Jim or Jimmy) Wasdale Brough (1903-1986) of Silloth, England, and some of his associates. Jim Brough — who was respectfully called “Gentleman Jim” — was a famous rugby union player and professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He played for England at the representative level and won caps for England against Wales, France, Australia and New Zealand. Jim gained a reputation for being one of the finest and innovative fullbacks of his time and was an inspirational leader. In 1958, Jim became the first coach ever appointed to a Great Britain touring team. In 2005, in honor of Jim’s character and contributions to the sport of rugby, the Silloth RUFC renamed its ground The Jim Brough Rugby Park.

With the help of online databases and other records available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, it was soon determined that most of Jim Brough’s ancestry had never been adequately researched. Over the next several months Brough family members in Utah and England successfully identified and documented Jim’s ancestry back to the mid-1600s in Cumberland, England.

Today, historical information about Jim Brough and some of the pictures of him that were once held in a “secret drawer” can be found on FamilySearch Tree; and many of Jim Brough’s ancestors have now been given the opportunity of enjoying the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ through vicarious ordinances performed in the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

— R. Clayton Brough, West Jordan Utah Park Stake