John Leighton Davies was a Welsh

Welsh people

The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...

 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...

 and professional rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 footballer of the 1940s and '50s who at representative level played rugby union (RU) for Glamorgan County RFC

Glamorgan County RFC

Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level...

, and at club level for Neath RFC

Neath RFC

Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...

, at club level played rugby league (RL) for Wakefield Trinity

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...

, playing at , i.e. number 3 or 4.

After retirement, he became a patron of Wakefield RFC

Wakefield RFC

Wakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901, and which dropped out of the English leagues in 2004 as a result of the effects of professionalism...

 and was an active supporter of the club until his death.

He was also heavily responsible for Wakefield RFC’s

Wakefield RFC

Wakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901, and which dropped out of the English leagues in 2004 as a result of the effects of professionalism...

 'Salute to Rugby'
book a compilation of "favourite recipes from famous people" including Prince Charles and the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which was published in 1980 in support of Wakefield Rugby Football Club.

An acknowledgment in the book reads

“J Leighton Davies, for his superhuman efforts in compiling all the recipes”.

He was the father in law of former Wakefield RFC

Wakefield RFC

Wakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901, and which dropped out of the English leagues in 2004 as a result of the effects of professionalism...

 captain Martin Shuttleworth and grandfather of Otley's

Otley R.U.F.C.

Otley Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union club representing Otley in the City of Leeds district of West Yorkshire. Founded in 1865 it broke away from the RU in 1895...

 Iain Shuttleworth.

Contemporaneous Article Extract

"Born in Skewen

Skewen

Skewen is a village within the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, in Wales.The village is served by Skewen railway station.-History:Skewen was once an industrial village. There were a number of collieries around the village . The Crown and Mines Royal Copper Works and the Cheadle and Neath...

, South Wales

South Wales

South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...

, gained international schoolboy honours at Neath Technical. Played for Neath R.U.

Neath RFC

Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...

 and had represented Glamorgan County

Glamorgan County RFC

Glamorgan County RFC is a Welsh rugby union club that manages an invitational team, known as Glamorgan that originally played rugby at county level...

 on six occasions to reach the verge of international

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

 honours before turning to R.L.

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 in October 1948. Looked set for an illustrious professional career when a succession of knee injuries forced his premature retirement in 1952."

Genealogical information

John Leighton Davies' marriage to Dorothy E. Banham was registered during April→June 1950 in Wakefield

Wakefield

Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....

 district.

External links

• Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org