John Joseph Clune (2 April 1890 — 12 September 1942) was an Irish international rugby union player.
| Full name | John Joseph Clune | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 April 1890 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 12 September 1942 (aged 52) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | off Ascension Island | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Blackrock College | ||||||||||||||||
| University | Trinity College Dublin | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Veterinarian | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Clune was educated at Blackrock College and Trinity College Dublin. He was capped six times for Ireland, utilised as both a hooker and second row forward, making his debut against the touring 1912–13 Springboks.[1][2]
After qualifying as a vet, Clune was commissioned to the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and served in Mesopotamia in World War I, then worked at veterinary hospitals in Kurdistan between the wars.[1]
Clune was on a posting to the Indian Army during World War II and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. On 12 September 1942, Clune was a passenger on RMS Laconia when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the West African coast in the South Atlantic. He was one of an estimated 1,600 people to die in the sinking.[1][3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c McCrery, Nigel; Rowe, Michael (28 February 2018). Final Scrum. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 1473894522.
- ^ "Fixtures". Limerick Echo. 19 November 1912.
- ^ "Lieutenant Colonel John Joseph Clune". CWGC.
External links
edit- John Clune at ESPNscrum