Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A REMARKABLE FIND REVEALED
light. They tell Charlie’s story – a story of a great sportsman and a great hero.”
England legend Lawrence Dallaglio said: “This sounds incredible. What a find. It’s great they are going on show at Twickenham and the next time I am there I will certainly have a look.”
Gareth, 49, an investment manager, from Wimborne, Dorset, said: “These jerseys have been stored in a cardboard box in lofts for decades.
“Only after my move to the countryside recently did I place them in a plastic box as I was concerned about moths, rats or water damage.
“I wanted to make sure they were safe and secure, but they did remain in the loft – in hindsight, a good thing. It helped keep the colours of the shirts as good as they are after 110 years.
“From a young age I knew that my great-grandfather had played rugby for Wales and that we had some international shirts and his Welsh cap. The jerseys were rarely seen, I recall just twice, once at a Pritchard family reunion held to view the shirts.”
It was only when an All Blacks shirt from 1905 went up for auction in 2015 and a high value was put on it that he learned how precious the shirts were.
He said: “When I met Peter Jones in 2018 and opened the box, his enthusiasm about the j erseys was so exciting to me. It was akin to being a child on Christmas morning, with each shirt a present and opening up the historical importance they held.”
Peter has written “I Did My Bit”, a book about Captain Pritchard.
The title refers to Charlie’s final words on his deathbed. In the Daily Mirror i n 1916, we quoted Company Sergeant Maj o r C o d l i n g , who told how Charlie was shot as he tried to capture a German from the trenches, then stumbled back to his own side.
Codling said: “He asked, ‘Have they got the Hun?’ and they said, ‘Yes’. He said, ‘Well, I have done my bit’.
“And he had, poor chap, for the news came through yesterday morning that he had died of his wounds.”
The rugby jerseys are on loan to the museum for the next five years.
But Gareth said: “At some stage I would like for them to be on display in Wales, preferably in Newport, where my great grandfather was from.
“He would have wanted local people to have a chance to see such an important part of Newport rugby history.”
WW1 HERO’S GREAT GRANDSON