Thomas Norman Brand (5 January 1899 — 9 June 1938) was an Irish international rugby union player.
| Full name | Thomas Norman Brand | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 January 1899 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 9 June 1938 (aged 39) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | off Poole, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Born in Belfast, Brand was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution. He played his rugby with Belfast-based club North of Ireland. A forward, Brand toured South Africa with the 1924 British Lions, featuring in the first two Test matches against the Springboks in Durban and Johannesburg, before gaining his solitary Ireland cap later that year when he faced the "Invincible" 1924–25 All Blacks at Lansdowne Road.[1][2]
Brand later lived in Dorset and on 9 June 1938 died of an accidental drowning on Poole Harbour. He had been travelling to a yacht with two companions on a dinghy that capsized. When one of them, T. A. Denny, went unconscious, Brand and the other man W. E. Tranchell took turns keeping him afloat. Brand eventually grew tired but continued to take his turn holding Denny, telling Tranchell "Don't worry about me old man", before himself falling unconscious. Tranchell was unable to hold on to both men and had to let go of Brand, who drowned.[3][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "#224 Norman Brand". British & Irish Lions.
- ^ "The Merry-go-round of Sport". Athletic News. 3 November 1924.
- ^ "Belfast Man's Heroism". Northern Whig. 21 June 1938.
- ^ "Refused To Abandon His Friend". Belfast News-Letter. 21 June 1938.
External links
edit- Norman Brand at ESPNscrum