Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

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tomq
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu 25 Feb, 2010 8:30 am

Re: Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

Post by tomq »

volvojack wrote:
Sun 22 Dec, 2019 10:05 am
Ian
Two lads I knew well were Maurice Langton and Alan Preece he became the landlord of the pub on Harrogate Road chapel Allerton ( think it was the New Inn )
Memory not what it used to be
Hi Jack,
Just to help your memory, it was Bill Langton, full back & goalkicker. I remember being told that Alan 'Moose' Preece had the Fforde Grene at one time although it was not a pub I ever used. Wrong side of Leeds for me.
Tom

volvojack
Posts: 1471
Joined: Tue 26 Jan, 2016 11:57 am

Re: Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

Post by volvojack »

Hello Tom,
Billy Langton,as you say was the most famous of the Langtons but Maurice also played for them. he lived somewhere behind the White Horse. As regards Anan Preece i only caught up with him in later years so not sure about the "Fordy".
Last time i saw him he was as Yeadon airport in a wheelchair. Nice lad.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Re: Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

Post by iansmithofotley »

There was another ex rugby player who managed the Fforde Grene. He was Terry Robbins who played Rugby Union for Swansea and Wales. He played for Bramley RLFC around 1963. Apart from the Fforde Grene, Terry also managed the Compton Arms at Harehills, the 'old' Kings Arms in Meanwood Road and the Welcome Inn at Tinshill. Terry died in 2015 aged 81 years. I met Terry and his wife, Ida, in unusual circumstances.

In April 1969, a young girl called April Fabb, aged 13 years, who lived in north Norfolk, went to visit her sister’s home on her bicycle. She left her home and was never seen again. Extensive Police enquiries to trace the girl, or her body, were unsuccessful and, to this day, nobody knows what became of her and her body was never found.

At the time of her disappearance, a young lad was doing something which many children did at that time – he sat at the side of the road near to where he lived, which was en route between April’s house and her sister’s house, and he had a notebook and was writing down the registration numbers of every vehicle that past. The Police learned about this and went about tracing the owners and drivers of every vehicle, which the young lad had noted.

As a result of this, there were two vehicles, which he noted, that were from the Leeds area. One was owned and driven by Terry Robbins and the other one was owned and driven by his brother in law, Alan Richardson (I think that is the correct surname), who lived at Garforth and had a butcher’s shop on Butcher’s Row in Leeds Market.

The Norfolk Constabulary sent correspondence to the Leeds City Police requesting that the occupants of the two vehicles be traced, interviewed and eliminated from the enquiry, and also to glean any other useful information. I was working in the Leeds City Crime Squad at that time and was given the task.

I interviewed Terry, Alan and their wives and found that they had been on holiday together in the Norfolk area, near to where April went missing, but had no knowledge of April’s disappearance and could not assist in the enquiry.

At that time, Terry and Ida were managing the old King’s Arms on Meanwood Road, near to Barrack Street. I felt sorry for them because of the circumstances as to how they came to be in the King’s Arms, having managed much bigger pubs like the Fforde Grene and the Compton Arms (two of the biggest and busiest pubs in Leeds).

What happened was that when they were in the Fforde Grene around 1968, there had been a very hot spell in the summer and the pub ran out of soft drinks and mixer drinks. Despite making many requests to Tetley’s Brewery, who owned the pub, for a delivery of the drinks, they failed to respond and the customers were complaining. To keep his customers happy, Terry went to a ‘Cash and Carry’ warehouse and purchased the required stock, himself. This was, apparently, against company policy. The Brewery found out about it and thought that he was trying to make money ‘on the side’ and ‘punished’ him by moving him from the Fforde Grene to the old King’s Arms, which was a very small pub in size and turnover, in comparison to the Fforde Grene or Compton Arms, and no doubt with a lesser salary. After serving his penance, he moved to the Welcome Inn at Tinshill, where he remained for many years.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Re: Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

Post by iansmithofotley »

Another Hunslet player, Dennis Hartley, who was very well known and well liked, died last month on 12th November 2019, aged 83 years. Dennis played at Doncaster, Hunslet and Castleford and also for Yorkshire, England and Great Britain. I seem to remember that after playing rugby, Dennis had a garage in Leeds and my father used to get his car serviced by him.

TABBYCAT
Posts: 375
Joined: Mon 02 Apr, 2007 6:55 pm

Re: Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

Post by TABBYCAT »

@Ian

In relation to April Fabb, my wife whose family lived nearby, made me aware of this many years ago.
I had heard/read somewhere that Robert Black was a strong suspect for this terrible crime.

iansmithofotley
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri 28 Dec, 2007 4:10 pm

Re: Hunslet Rugby - 'We've swept the seas before boys'

Post by iansmithofotley »

Hi Tabbycat,

You are correct, he was a belated suspect in the April Fabb enquiry, and many other enquiries where the offender was never traced and remain undetected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappear ... April_Fabb

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bl ... al_killer)

Ian

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