We have followed Sydney Sylvester from his debut at Saracens, through his volunteering for service with the 10th (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (aka the ‘Stockbrokers Battalion’) in 1914 and his subsequent experiences in training camp as the Battalion prepared to be sent to France. Finally, they received their instructions, and crossed the Channel to Boulogne…
Frederick ‘Chappie’ Chapman first appears in our surviving Club records in the 1913-14 team photo, the last Saracens team to take the field until the 1919/1920 season. Wearing an early scrum cap, a dapper moustache, and standing next to CJB Buckheim on one side and the Honourable Treasurer J.G. Brodie on the other, he has…
Sydney Sylvester’s Postcard to Home 4th February 1915 We have followed Saracens scrum-half Sydney Sylvester in earlier blogs, including ‘Sydney Sylvester Joins Up!’ as he volunteered for duty in 1914 with the 10th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. This body of men had quickly acquired the nickname ‘The Stockbrokers’ Battalion’, due to the very high…
Sydney, as we have seen, had fought his way into the Saracens 1st XV in 1909 as a 17-year-old, where his agile running into spaces as the Club’s first-choice half-back had won the appreciation of his teammates. With Britain declaring war against Germany on August 4th, his thoughts clearly turned to how best he could…
Saracens Rugby Club and W.W.1 