| [Index] |
| Harry Henry Collinge SPEAKMAN (1864 - 1915) |
| railway engineer |
| Children | Self + Spouses | Parents | Grandparents | Greatgrandparents |
|
Harold Sidney David SPEAKMAN (1896 - ) Ethel Gertrude SPEAKMAN (1899 - 1900) Hilda May SPEAKMAN (1901 - 1968) Elsie Beatrice SPEAKMAN (1903 - ) |
Harry Henry Collinge SPEAKMAN (1864 - 1915) + Bessie NEWTON (1875 - 1947) |
David SPEAKMAN (1833 - 1868) | Thomas SPEAKMAN (1802 - 1888) | David SPEAKMAN (1778 - ) |
| Annie HAMPSON (1780 - ) | ||||
| Ellen COLLINGE (1806 - 1866) | ||||
| Anne Elizabeth WALKER (1833 - ) | ||||
|
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| Pic 2. Harry is 24 years old in this picture. Photo dated 1888: British Lions Tour Australia |
| b. 1864 at Runcorn, Cheshire, England |
| m. 04 Mar 1896 Bessie NEWTON (1875 - 1947) at Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia |
| d. 01 Jan 1915 at Queensland, Australia aged 51 |
| Parents: |
| David SPEAKMAN (1833 - 1868) |
| Anne Elizabeth WALKER (1833 - ) |
| Siblings (6): |
| Agnes Walker SPEAKMAN (1858 - ) |
| Clara Fletcher SPEAKMAN (1860 - ) |
| Annie Elizabeth SPEAKMAN (1861 - ) |
| Walker SPEAKMAN (1863 - ) |
| Helen SPEAKMAN (1865 - ) |
| David Alfred SPEAKMAN (1868 - ) |
| Children (4): |
| Harold Sidney David SPEAKMAN (1896 - ) |
| Ethel Gertrude SPEAKMAN (1899 - 1900) |
| Hilda May SPEAKMAN (1901 - 1968) |
| Elsie Beatrice SPEAKMAN (1903 - ) |
| Grandchildren (4): |
| Michael SPEAKMAN ( - 1934) |
| Events in Harry Henry Collinge SPEAKMAN (1864 - 1915)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| 1864 | Harry Henry Collinge SPEAKMAN was born | Runcorn, Cheshire, England | census 1871 | ||
| 1868 | 4 | Death of father David SPEAKMAN (aged 35) | Runcorn, Cheshire, England | 12 | |
| 04 Mar 1896 | 32 | Married Bessie NEWTON (aged 20) | Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia | 1896/C001042 | |
| 13 Oct 1896 | 32 | Birth of son Harold Sidney David SPEAKMAN | Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia | 1896/C006704 | |
| 10 Jun 1899 | 35 | Birth of daughter Ethel Gertrude SPEAKMAN | Queensland, Australia | 1899/C006427 | |
| 17 Apr 1900 | 36 | Death of daughter Ethel Gertrude SPEAKMAN | Queensland, Australia | 1900/002384 | |
| 13 Apr 1901 | 37 | Birth of daughter Hilda May SPEAKMAN | Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia | 1901/C006352 | |
| 06 Jun 1903 | 39 | Birth of daughter Elsie Beatrice SPEAKMAN | Queensland, Australia | 1903/C005868 | |
| 01 Jan 1915 | 51 | Harry Henry Collinge SPEAKMAN died | Queensland, Australia | 1915/001152 | |
| Personal Notes: |
|
http://www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk/runcorn-widnes-news/runcorn-widnes-local-news/2010/01/14/former-rugby-skipper-harry-speakman-s-life-down-under-55368-25590835/
Former rugby skipper Harry Speakman's life down under Jan 14 2010 Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News LONG before the Linnets put Runcorn’s soccer club on the map, the Canal Street ground enjoyed a well-earned reputation in rugby. It was there in March 1889 that the Runcorn team, regarded as the Cheshire champions and captained by the well-remembered Hughie Hughes, entertained the famous Maoris touring team before a crowd estimated at around 9,000 Although not a member of that particular team, one Runcorn man, Henry (Harry) Collinge Speakman, garnered fame as one of the best centre three-quarters in the north of England and also as a member of the first British rugby team to tour Australia and New Zealand. The story of Harry Speakman was kindly sent to me by a Leicester man, Howard Peacock, whose personal interest in the old Runcorn Rugby Club stems from the fact that his great-grandfather, Thomas Wilkinson, played for the Runcorn club around 1900, including the second season the club won the Lancashire Senior Championship. Harry Speakman was born in Leinster Gardens, Runcorn, on January 19, 1864, and at 17 was playing half back for the junior club, Runcorn True Blues, before moving to the Britannia club in Weston. Rapid improvement ensured he attracted the attention of Runcorn Football Club and after just a season with the second team, he became a first team regular and was in the representative West Lancashire and Border Towns teams which played Batley (Yorkshire Cup holders) at Widnes at the start of the 1885-86 season. He also played seven county matches for Cheshire. It soon became evident that Harry was approaching international standard but a development late in 1887 was to change, not just Harry’s playing career, but the entire direction of his life. Howard Peacock takes up the story: “Three well known English cricket internationals, Arthur Shrewsbury, Alfred Shaw and James Lillywhite, noticed the increasing popularity of rugby football, not just in Britain but also in the Australian colonies, and decided the situation was ripe for making money. “All three had been involved in overseas cricket tours and believed a similar tour could be undertaken by the best rugby players.” The big difference, of course, was that, whereas payment for cricket was permissible, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) despised the idea. The RFU’s steadfast refusal to endorse the tour ensured that many of the country’s top players didn’t want anything to do with the venture. It was against this background that Harry Speakman was offered a place on the tour and accepted. The team left England on March 8, 1888. The promoters had secured 22 players, including Andrew Stoddart, a future England captain, who also succeeded W G Grace as captain of the England cricket team. The team was strong enough to give a good account of itself, winning 27 of 36 matches played in New Zealand and Australia. The low point of the tour came in Australia when team captain Bob Seddon drowned in the Hunter River and Stoddart captained the team for the rest of the tour. When the team left for home in October 1888, Harry Speakman was one of the players who stayed behind. He was still in New Zealand in February 1889 but by early March he was on his way to Queensland, Australia, and settled in Brisbane where he worked as an engine fitter. He played for the local Wallaroo club and captained the Queensland state side for three seasons. A couple of years later he moved to Brisbane’s Union Harriers team, but, once gold was discovered in the Charters Towers region of Queensland, Harry moved north. He was soon involved with the local Charters Towers team, which still exists today, and in the 1950s the club remembered Harry in its anniversary celebrations, stating: “During the eight or nine years of his residence here he imparted a lot of his genius to local players and raised the game to a high standard.” In 1896 Harry married a local girl, Bessie Newton, and the couple had four children. Their descendants still live in the Brisbane area. Unfortunately, the last dozen years of Harry’s life don’t appear to have been that happy. At the time of his death at the age of 50 in 1915, he appears to have been estranged from his family. On his death certificate, details for his wife and his children were all blank. Howard Peacock also sent me a full account of the Canal Street match against the Maoris and would be grateful for any information about the Runcorn club. His address is 17 Garland Crescent, Leicester, and he can also be contacted by e-mail on: redtailsfc@dsl.pipex.com. |
| Source References: |
| 18. Type: E-mail Message, Abbr: e-mails general pool, Title: e-mails general pool |
| - Reference = Tim Waterhouse - 22 Jan 10 (Name, Notes) |