David Bedell-Sivright
Encyclopedia
David Revell "Darkie" Bedell-Sivright (8 December 1880 – 5 September 1915) was a Scottish
international rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Cambridge
and Edinburgh Universities
. Bedell-Sivright was one of the true characters of the sport of rugby and was chosen to lead a British Isles
team on a tour of Australia
. A surgeon by profession, he joined the Royal Navy
during the First World War, and died on active service during the Gallipoli Campaign.
. Bedell-Sivright was educated at Fettes College
. before going up to Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1899 to read medicine. He later completed his medical training at the University of Edinburgh
.
There are many tales surrounding Bedell-Sivright, and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. It is said that in 1909 he became Scottish amateur boxing
champion, that after one international he rugby tackled a cart horse in Princes Street
in Edinburgh and once lay down on the tram tracks in the city and held up the traffic for an hour as no policeman would approach him.
On 25 January 1915 Bedell-Sivright was commissioned as a surgeon in the Royal Navy. He was posted to the Hawke Battalion of the Royal Naval Division stationed at Gallipoli
during the Dardanelles Campaign in May 1915. He was loaned to the Royal Scots Fusiliers
from 8 June to 20 June, and was then posted to the Portsmouth Battalion of Royal Marine Light Infantry. After a period onshore in the trenches while serving at an advanced dressing station, he was bitten by an unidentified insect. He complained of being fatigued and was taken offshore and transferred to the hospital ship HMHS Dunluce Castle. Two days later, on 5 September, he died of septicaemia
and was buried at sea off Cape Helles
. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
, Swansea
. A turning point in Welsh rugby, the home team won 12-3, but the selectors stuck with Bedell-Sivright and he would win another 21 caps for his country scoring three tries.
Sivright would later be chosen to tour with two different British Isles team. The first was the 1903 tour of South Africa
under the captaincy of fellow Scottish international Mark Morrison
. Although at the centre of the British Isles pack, Beddel-Sivright did not play in any of the test games.
In 1904, surprisingly on the request of the England Rugby Board, Bedell-Sivright was selected to lead out a British Lions team on a tour of Australia
. Although he only played in one test game, because of a broken leg, he was so impressed with the country he decided to settle there. After a year he became bored of 'jackarooing
', decided to leave Australia and headed back to Scotland to study medicine. While studying at in Edinburgh, he joined the University Rugby team
, captaining them for two season in 1906/07 and 1908/09.
He was the brother of John Bedell-Sivright
who played for Cambridge University RFC, and gained a single international cap in 1902.
British Isles 1904
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
forward who played club rugby for Cambridge
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
and Edinburgh Universities
Edinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
. Bedell-Sivright was one of the true characters of the sport of rugby and was chosen to lead a British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team on a tour of Australia
1904 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand
The 1904 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was the sixth tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to New Zealand and Australia...
. A surgeon by profession, he joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the First World War, and died on active service during the Gallipoli Campaign.
Personal history
Bedell-Sivright was born in Edinburgh in 1880 to William Henry Revell Bedell-Sivright of North QueensferryNorth Queensferry
North Queensferry is a village in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth, between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, and from Edinburgh. According to the 2008 population estimate, the village has a population of 1,150. It is the southernmost settlement in Fife.The Scottish Gaelic name...
. Bedell-Sivright was educated at Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
. before going up to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1899 to read medicine. He later completed his medical training at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
There are many tales surrounding Bedell-Sivright, and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. It is said that in 1909 he became Scottish amateur boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion, that after one international he rugby tackled a cart horse in Princes Street
Princes Street
Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...
in Edinburgh and once lay down on the tram tracks in the city and held up the traffic for an hour as no policeman would approach him.
On 25 January 1915 Bedell-Sivright was commissioned as a surgeon in the Royal Navy. He was posted to the Hawke Battalion of the Royal Naval Division stationed at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
during the Dardanelles Campaign in May 1915. He was loaned to the Royal Scots Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
-The Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot :The regiment was raised in Scotland in 1678 by Stuart loyalist Charles Erskine, de jure 5th Earl of Mar for service against the rebel covenanting forces during the Second Whig Revolt . They were used to keep the peace and put down brigands, mercenaries, and...
from 8 June to 20 June, and was then posted to the Portsmouth Battalion of Royal Marine Light Infantry. After a period onshore in the trenches while serving at an advanced dressing station, he was bitten by an unidentified insect. He complained of being fatigued and was taken offshore and transferred to the hospital ship HMHS Dunluce Castle. Two days later, on 5 September, he died of septicaemia
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
and was buried at sea off Cape Helles
Cape Helles
Cape Helles is the rocky headland at the south-westernmost tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey. It was the scene of heavy fighting between Turkish and British troops during the landing at Cape Helles at the beginning of the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915....
. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Rugby career
Bedell-Sivright first came to note as a rugby player, when he represented Cambridge University in the Varsity matches between 1899 and 1902, winning four sporting Blues during the period. Bedell-Sivright was first capped for Scotland in 1900 in a match against Wales at St Helen'sSt Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground is a spectator venue in Swansea, Wales. It is used for both rugby and cricket.It is owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea council and is also used to host the local annual Guy Fawkes night fireworks display.-History:Since the ground opened in...
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. A turning point in Welsh rugby, the home team won 12-3, but the selectors stuck with Bedell-Sivright and he would win another 21 caps for his country scoring three tries.
Sivright would later be chosen to tour with two different British Isles team. The first was the 1903 tour of South Africa
1903 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1903 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fifth tour by a British Isles team and the third to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....
under the captaincy of fellow Scottish international Mark Morrison
Mark Coxon Morrison
Mark Coxon Morrison was a Scottish rugby union footballer who captained both Scotland and the British Isles. He played for Scotland twenty three times between 1896 and 1904, and captained the team fifteen times, a record which stood until the era of Arthur Smith, sixty years later...
. Although at the centre of the British Isles pack, Beddel-Sivright did not play in any of the test games.
In 1904, surprisingly on the request of the England Rugby Board, Bedell-Sivright was selected to lead out a British Lions team on a tour of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Although he only played in one test game, because of a broken leg, he was so impressed with the country he decided to settle there. After a year he became bored of 'jackarooing
Jackaroo (trainee)
A Jackaroo is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia in the Nineteenth Century and is still in use in Australia and New Zealand in the twenty-first...
', decided to leave Australia and headed back to Scotland to study medicine. While studying at in Edinburgh, he joined the University Rugby team
Edinburgh University RFC
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
, captaining them for two season in 1906/07 and 1908/09.
He was the brother of John Bedell-Sivright
John Bedell-Sivright
John Bedell-Sivright was a Scottish rugby union player.He was capped once for in 1902. He also played for Cambridge University RFC.He was the brother of David Bedell-Sivright who was also capped for Scotland, and who is considered one of the great Scotland players of all time.-References:* Bath,...
who played for Cambridge University RFC, and gained a single international cap in 1902.
International matches played
Scotland 1901, 1902, 1903, 1906, 1907 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908 1905 1906 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908British Isles 1904
See also
External links
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission Includes a photo of Bedell-Sivright
- Photo of 1901 Scotland team which played Wales. Bedell-Sivright back row far left.
- An entire team wiped out by the Great War (The Scotsman)
