Frank Smyth
Birth name | Bernard Francis Smyth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 11 February 1891 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Boatmans, Buller, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 15 July 1972 | (aged 81)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Peter Dunne (grandson) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Bricklayer,[1] publican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bernard Francis Smyth (11 February 1891 – 15 July 1972) was a New Zealand rugby union player.
Playing career
[edit]A hooker, Smyth played a single representative game for Canterbury in 1915, one match for the South Island in 1922 and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, also in 1922. He played three matches for the All Blacks but did not appear in any internationals.[2]
Military service
[edit]Smyth served in the No. 3 Field Company, New Zealand Engineers, during World War I. He enlisted in December 1915 as a sapper, and had risen to the rank of sergeant by the time of his discharge in June 1919.[1] He saw action at Ypres, Passchendaele and the Somme,[2] and was mentioned in dispatches, by Sir Douglas Haig on 7 April 1918.[3]
Death and legacy
[edit]Smyth died in Christchurch on 15 July 1972, and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Bromley.[2][4] His grandson is the politician, Peter Dunne.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Smyth, Frank – WW1 4/2138 – Army". Archives New Zealand. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ a b c Knight, Lindsay. "Frank Smyth". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ "No. 30706". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 May 1918. p. 6204.
- ^ "Cemeteries database". Christchurch City Council. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Davison, Isaac (21 August 2014). "Mr Boring? What about my bow-ties?". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- 1891 births
- 1972 deaths
- New Zealand rugby union players
- New Zealand international rugby union players
- Canterbury rugby union players
- Rugby union hookers
- New Zealand military personnel of World War I
- New Zealand people of Irish descent
- Burials at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch
- Rugby union players from the West Coast Region
- New Zealand rugby union biography stubs