Celebrating A Rugby Pioneer

For a few years I’ve been researching my great uncle Jimmy Peters. He was the first black man to play rugby union for England. I even had the pleasure of sitting in my back garden with rugby commentator John Inverdale a few years ago, discussing doing a programme about Jimmy. This week all of the research and hoping finally paid off.

I met a BBC researcher a while ago, who was as enthusiastic about Jimmy as myself. I gave him all of the information I had gleaned from the internet and my family (this wasn’t much because he died in 1954, and was very private).

This week I was privileged to listen to a BBC Radio Bristol documentary tying into the Rugby World Cup 2019. The life of James Peters was there for all to hear. Even though I had done as much research as I could, hearing John narrate Jimmy’s story, with the help of rugby and National Fairground and Circus Archive historians, brought it to life, including the hardships he

endured and the importance of his place in the sport’s history.

One of the historians said that Jimmy was just about the most important player of his time. He was at the highest stage in the game, finally accepted because of his skills and recognised as one of the best rugby players in England. The radio programme made his story so much more than just dry facts, figures and snippets from the internet.

Who would have ever thought that I, and my family, would have our own WDYTYA? moment? Kim Tozer, by email

EDITOR REPLIES: What a great connection Kim, and thanks to the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham for letting us print one of the photographs they have of him. The programme is available on BBC Sounds for over a year: bit.ly/rugby-peters.