By Mal Butler
A veteran rugby player’s ‘obsession’ about his great uncle led him to Twickenham on Saturday.
Robert Simpson’s relative was Ronald Poulton Palmer, the England rugby captain in the 1913–14 season, and superstar of his day, who played his last game before the First World War on St Helens Green.
Robert had his chance to pay his respects, along with children, James and Nicole, when the family visited a plaque by the side of the Twickenham pitch, where some of the soil from their famous relative’s grave was installed, as part of the Sandown & Shanklin Hurricanes’ veterans who were playing in a charity competition.
Over the past three months, the squad has been tirelessly fund-raising for the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF), and their hard work has paid off, raising an astounding £41,000.
Robert said: “This was about me closing a chapter on my grand uncle; I will never forget it. He said he would never see Twickenham again and now he is there. It has been a life-long obsession with me and I have read the books about Ronald, but now the loop has been closed.”
The Hurricanes, aged between 35 and 47, made the final of the competition before losing a hard-fought battle against a Midlands Barbarians team.
However, Robert played for a team of ‘super vets’ aged 50-plus. He added: “Because we had raised the most money for the IPF, we were able to use the England dressing room. It was all a bit surreal. I was playing with a bunch of friends I had known for many years, including Colin Bond who is 77! We were sitting next to each other in the dressing room looking around, and I turned to him and said: ‘I never thought we would ever be here!’
“We were also given the honour of leading the National Anthem; it really was an amazing day for everyone, the 250 to 300 players, families and supporters who were there.”
You can see an interview with Bob about his rugby playing relative at iw.observer/bob-simpson.
Isle of Wight Observer