Shocking case of teen star Stafford

MENTION of Bedford Modern school elsewhere in this paper calls to mind one of the saddest stories in English rugby history, a sure fire star of the future being cut down randomly in his teenage pomp. I am talking of Dick Stafford who I am guessing you possibly haven’t heard of.

A star rower and unmatchable schoolboy athlete – in his short career he amassed nearly 40 trophies for the family mantlepiece – rugby was nonetheless his main love. He broke into the School First XV aged 13 and captained the side aged 15. A year later he made his senior debut as a flanker for the Bedford Club.

He was just 17 when he starred in a senior England trial and there was a clamour for him to be selected there and then but the England selectors resisted another year, eventually capping him aged 18 in 1912 when he was England’s stand out forward and ever present during the Five Nations campaign when they shared the Championship with Ireland.

Then on October 11, 1912 it was reported that Stafford had “strained the muscles of his stomach and will take an enforced rest for a week or two”.

But Stafford was unaccountably restless. The following week he played for an Invitation XV against Bedford Modern and two days later he appeared for the East Midlands against Sussex, scoring two tries. The following week he scored twice more for East Midlands against Surrey and was named in the Eastern Counties team to play South Africa... but that night he took ill again.

He took to his bed again complaining of terrible back pains. On November 8 a London specialist was sent for. The specialist diagnosed cancer of the spine, pronouncing the case hopeless.

Stafford clung on for just over three weeks and died in the early hours of Sunday, December 1, 1912, aged just 19 years and 131 days. The sheer speed of his decline and death, so soon after appearing in prime health, was shocking. Perhaps he knew... and this was the last bright embers of a dying fire.