William Norman Pilkington (26 July 1877 – 8 February 1935) was an English international rugby union player.[1]
| Full name | William Norman Pilkington | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 July 1877 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Prescot, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 8 February 1935 (aged 57) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Prescot, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Clifton College | ||||||||||||||||
| University | Trinity College, Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Richard Pilkington (father) | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Glass manufacturer | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Biography
editBorn in Prescot, Lancashire, Pilkington was a member of a famous glass manufacturing family (Pilkington Brothers). His father, Richard Pilkington, was involved with family glassworks and served as a Conservative member of parliament for Newton. He attended Clifton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]
Pilkington won blues at Cambridge University for both athletics and rugby, the latter as a 100 yards sprinter.[3] He captained Cambridge University RFC in 1898, the same year he gained his sole England cap, playing against Scotland at Edinburgh as a wing three-quarter.[4]
In World War I, Pilkington served in France as a lieutenant-colonel with the 5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, under the command of his brother Lionel. He was mentioned in despatches three times and decorated in 1916 with the Distinguished Service Order, to which a bar was added in 1918.[5][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Former Rugby International". Belfast News-Letter. 11 February 1935.
- ^ "Colonel Norman Pilkington Dead". Liverpool Echo. 8 February 1935.
- ^ "Death of Lancashire Sportsman". Lancashire Evening Post. 9 February 1935.
- ^ "Fine Athlete". Belfast Telegraph. 9 February 1935.
- ^ "Distinguished War Career". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 9 February 1935.
- ^ "St. Helens D.S.O." Liverpool Echo. 17 September 1918.
External links
edit- William Pilkington at ESPNscrum