Full name | Charles Garfield Woodruff | ||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 30 October 1920 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 1 November 2019 | (aged 99)||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Leicester, England | ||||||||||||||||
School | Newport High School | ||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Charles Garfield Woodruff (30 October 1920 – 1 November 2019) was an English international rugby union player.
Born and raised in Newport, Wales, Woodruff was known as "Peter" to his family, but also went by the name "Charlie". He enlisted in the Royal Air Force after finishing school, reaching the rank of flight lieutenant. In World War II, Woodruff flew Dakotas during the Normandy landings that dropped paratroopers over France.[1]
Woodruff got recruited by Harlequins while playing for the London Civil Service. He was a Welsh trialist, but gained his four international caps for England, featuring on the wing in all four of their 1951 Five Nations fixtures, before losing his place to Ted Woodward.[2] Other than England, Woodruff also made representative appearances for Barbarians, Gloucestershire, Kent, London Counties and Western Counties. He last played for Harlequins at the age of 42.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Schofield, Daniel (4 December 2019). "Remarkable Harlequins loyalist Peter Woodruff even kept his MBE secret". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "The Wing Position". Western Mail. 27 January 1950.
- ^ "CG Woodruff, England's oldest surviving rugby international – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 29 November 2019.
External links
- Peter Woodruff at ESPNscrum
- 1920 births
- 2019 deaths
- English rugby union players
- England international rugby union players
- Rugby union players from Newport, Wales
- Rugby union wings
- Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
- Royal Air Force officers
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Harlequin F.C. players
- Barbarian F.C. players
- Gloucestershire County RFU players
- Kent County RFU players
- London Counties rugby union players