Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal

The Lord Wakefield of Kendal

Full name	William Wavell Wakefield
Date of birth	10 March 1898
Place of birth	Beckenham, Kent, England, UK
Date of death	12 August 1983 (aged 85)
Place of death	Kendal, Lake District
School	Sedbergh School
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Flanker
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
	Harlequins
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1920–1927	England	31	Tries-(6)

William Wavell Wakefield, 1st Baron Wakefield of Kendal (10 March 1898 – 12 August 1983), known as Sir Wavell Wakefield between 1944 and 1963, was an English rugby union player for Harlequins and England, President of the Rugby Football Union and Conservative politician.

Background and education

Wakefield was born in Beckenham, Kent, the son of Roger William Wakefield. He was the brother of Sir Edward Wakefield, 1st Baronet, also a Conservative politician. His youngest brother, Roger Cuthbert Wakefield, was an early British & Irish Lion, touring on the 1927 British Lions tour to Argentina. He attended Sedbergh School in the West Riding of Yorkshire, leaving during the First World War to join the Royal Naval Air Service at the Admiralty testing station at Hill of Oaks on Windermere.

Rugby career

After the war Wakefield became the captain of the RAF rugby team and joined Harlequins. On 11 October 1919, he made his debut for Harlequins against Richmond and he continued to play for the club for the next ten years. He occasionally played for other teams during this time, but Harlequins was always his main club. During his career with Harlequins, he appeared a total of 136 times, including 82 as captain, and he made his final appearance on 25 January 1930 against Cambridge University. He scored 51 tries for the club, along with one penalty and 14 conversions. He was club captain in the seasons 1920/21, 1924/25 and 1927/28 to 1929/30.

In 1920, Wakefield made his England debut against Wales. He captained the Cambridge University team in 1922. In total, he appeared for England 31 times and was captain on 13 occasions. He led England to back-to-back Grand Slams. His final appearance for England was against France in April 1927. Through his career, Wakefield's influence on the game was pronounced. As an excellent all-round athlete he helped revolutionise the role of the back row forward. Prior to Wakefield their role was mainly static—pushing in the set scrum and winning the ball in loose scrums (or rucks, as they later became). Wakefield's athleticism enabled him to play a more dynamic role: pressuring the opposition half backs in defence and supporting the attacks of the three quarters, and these remain the prime responsibilities of the modern open side flank forward. Rugby historian Barry Bowker described Wakefield thus; "A complete footballer, he had all the attributes – strength, weight and speed – of a great forward. He was a master of the art of dribbling with pace, was up with his backs to share in an attack and took and gave passes well".^[1]

He remained involved in rugby and was the RFU president in 1950. From 1950 to 1980 he was president of Harlequins. An all-round sportsman, Wakefield also became the president of the Ski Club of Great Britain, the British Sub-Aqua Club and the British Water Ski Federation. In 1999 Wakefield was inducted as the first English member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame.^[2]

Business and political career

In 1931, Wakefield joined the Rediffusion radio company.^[3]

In 1935, he moved into politics, becoming Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Swindon. At the 1945 general election, he moved to St Marylebone. He was knighted in 1944 and in 1963, upon retiring from Parliament, was raised to the peerage as Baron Wakefield of Kendal, of Kendal in the County of Westmorland.^[4] For many years he was an active member of the Conservative Monday Club.^[5]

Apart from his sporting and political careers Wakefield was instrumental in the preservation of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and Lake District Estates, being director of the former company after the death of Midlands stockbroker Colin Gilbert. Upon Wakefield's death, his daughter, the Hon. Mrs Joan Raynsford OBE, took over as the head director of the railway company. His other two daughters, the late Mrs Sheila Hensman OBE and Mrs Ruth Adorian OBE also became active directors.

In 1954, Wakefield bought a controlling shareholding in Ullswater 'Steamers', and in doing so saved the company from bankruptcy. The company is still controlled by his descendants.^[6]

Personal life

Lord Wakefield of Kendal died in August 1983, aged 85, when the barony became extinct.

References

1. Bowker, Barry (1978). England Rugby. London: Cassell. p. 60. ISBN 0-304-30214-7.
2. "Wavell Wakefield". International Rugby Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
3. "1928 – 1978: The first 50 Years of Rediffusion". Rediffusion Ltd. 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
4. The London Gazette: no. 43162. p. 9433. 19 November 1963.
5. Copping, Robert (1975). The Monday Club – Crisis and After. Ilford: Current Affairs Information Service. p. 25.
6. History of Ullswater 'Steamers' on the company website (accessed 25 July 2015).

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Wavell Wakefield