RUGBY FOOI BALL UNION l, ! ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINp held at the MAY FAIR HOTEL, LONDON, on Friday,r Ist July, 1955, at 5 p.rn. Il' . The following Clubs (333) were. represented: 1:.' Army Rugby Union Bec Old Boys, Falmouth Army Apprentice School Bedford' Falmouth One & AlI Colchester Garrison Berkshire Cou ty Finchley Ist Bn. The Loyal Regt. Bickley Park S~hool Gateshead Fell R.A.P.C., M.E.L.F. Billingham ,l, Gloucestershire Depot (The Buffs) H.C.B.D. Birmingham: Gravesend Ist Bn. Seaforth Highlanders Birmingham City OfficiaIs G.W.R. (London) 43 L.AA.S.L. Regt., R.A. .BiShOP'S Stortft' rd College Gosport . R.AO.C., London Blackheath . Guildford & Godalming Ist Bn. Border Regt. Borderers Hampshire 49 Field Regt., R.A., M.E.L.F. Bournemouth Harlequins 63 Coy., R.AS.C., Indep. Para. Bramley Old Boys Harrogate Bgde. Brigands Harrow 20 Infantry Workshops R.E.M.E. Brighton Harrow School 67 Regt. R.A, Oswestry Bristol Hastings & Bexhill 16 Rly. Trg. Regt., R.A Bristol and Dis. Combn. Hayle R.E.M.E., Arborfield Bristol Schools1 Headingley R.p.a. Royal SignaIs Bnstol. Y.M.C:A.î Heaton Moor 21 Command Workshops, Broad Plain 1 Hertfordshire R.E.M.E. Broughton PaJ:k Honourable Artillery Company Airborne Forces Depot Cambridge J Hornets Ist Trg. Bn., RA.S.C. Camp Hill Old,Edwardians Horsham 9 Trg. Regt., R.E., Cove Carlisle 'i Hove Ist Bn., Para. Regt. Cemianr' Hoylake Depot T.E., C.R.M.P., Woking Centymca ,1 Ibis 2 Trg. Bn. (Sups.), R.AS.C., Cheltenham .: Ilford Wanderers Aldershot City of London School Ipswich Il S.M.E. Regt. Civil Service Ri:F.C. K.C.S. Old Boys 9 Bn., R.AO.C., Donnington ,Civil Service R.F.U. KentCounty R.A.S.C., Bulford Clifton 1 Kersal 57 H.A.A. Regt., R.A. Colfe Grammar School King Edward's School 5 Trg. Bn., R.E.M.E., Arborfield Combined Binttingham O.B's Kings Norton 9 Indep. AB. Sqd., R.E. Cooper's Company's\ School Kodak Aldershot Cornwall AT.F Lensbury & Britannic House Western Command Cornwall CouI).ty Lescudjack Modern School R.M.A., Sandhurst Cornwall Tech\. College Letchworth 3 Trg. Regt., R.E., Cove Coventrians 1- Lewes 1 Regt., R.H.A, B.A.O.R. Coventry l Lewes County School 65 Trg. Regt., R.AC. Coventry Techl. College Lichfield Eaton Hall Officer Cadet School CJ:owborough '1' Lincoln Eastern Command Devonport Hi&h School O.B. Liverpool London District Devonport Ser'yices LloydsBank Royal Engineers Dorset and Wilts. London Irish Royal Military College of Science Dulwich cOlle1e London Schools School of Military Survey Durham Co un 'y London Scottish Atomic Weapon Research Est. Earlsdon London Transport. Bank of England . Eastbourne ! London Telecommunications Barc1ays Bank Eastern Counti~s· London Union Barnstaple East Mjdlands!R.F.U. London Welsh Bath . Edge Grove'School Lord Wandsworth College Battersea lronside:; Esher l, Loughborough College Beckenham Exiles (Cornwall) Luton '\ Lynton Works Old Rutlishians Skegness Lyons Old SkinnerS i Slough May & Baker Old Twickenhamians Solihull Medicals Old Westcliffiansl Somerset County . " Metropolitan Police Old Whitgiftians Southern Railway Metropolitan Police No. 2 Dis. Otley Staffordshire Union Metrovick Oxford University Staines Middles brough Paignton ~ 'Standard Middlesex County Park House ~ Stoke on Trent Morpeth Old Edwardians Penryn ~ Streatham Moseley Penzance & Newlyn Surrey Schools Mounts Bay Penzance CountY/Gram. School Sussex County Municipal College of Commerce Pinner !. Sutton Napier Plymouth Albion, Sutton Coldfield Newark Plymouth & District Sutton County Grammar School New Brighton Police A.A. Sutton Valance School Newbury Polytechnic Swindon Newport Portsmouth Grammar School Tamworth & District Newport (Salop) Public Schools Wanderers Taunton School Northampton Eng. College Royal Air Force Union Toc H Manchester North Durham R.A.F. Acklington Trinity School of John Whitgift Northern R.A.F. Bracknell Trojans Northern Polytechnic R.A.F. Calshot Twickenham Northumberland R.A.F. Chigwell U.C.S. Old Boys Norwich Union R.A.F. Cranwell; United Hospitals Nottinghamshire Schoolboys R.A.F. Hednesford University College (London) Notts R.A.F. Henlow ,. University College Hospital Notts, Lincs. & Derby R.A.F. Neatishead University College School Nuneaton R.A.F. Uxbridge U.S. Portsmouth Nuneaton OldEdwardians R.A.F. Watton Wakefield Old Albanians R.A.F. Worksop~ Wallasey Grammar School Old Alleynian R.A.F. Wythall {\ . Walsall 'C Old Anchorians Reading School y Warlingham . Old Azurians Redruth \ Warwickshire Old Bancroftians Richmond Wasps Old Beccehamians R.N.A.S. Culdrose Waterloo Old Birkonians R.N.E. College Welwyn Old Blues R.N.V.R. (LjD) Westcombe Park Old Cantabrigians Rockcliff West Hartlepool Old Colfeians Rosslyn Park West Herts Old Cooperians Royal Grammar School Westleigh . Old Creightonians (Ldn.) Newcastle-an-Tyne Westminster Bank Old Dartfordians Royal Marines (Portsmouth) Westminster Hospital Old Edwardians Royal Navy Union West Norfolk Old Elizabethians (Barnet) Rugby Westoe Old Erithians . Rugeley West Park Old Freeman's Ruislip Whitgift School Old Fullerians Rutlish School Wilmslow Old Gaytonians St. Benedicts School Wimbledon College Old Haberdashers St. Columba Windsor Old Hertfordians St. Dunstan's College Wolverhampton Old Instonians St. Erbyns School Woodford Old Leysian St. Lawrence College W oodpeckers Old Lutonians St. Thomas's Hospital Woolwich Polytechnic Old Merchant Taylors Sale . Worcester Old Millhillians Salisbury Worthing Old Newtonians (Leicester) Sandal Worthing High School Old Northamptonians Saracens Wycombiensians Old Novocastrians Sheffield Yarnbury Old Paviors Shelford Yorkshire Old Redingensians . Siemens Sports . J 1 The Notice convening the Meeting was read ~y the Secretary. The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 25th June, 1954, were confirmed and signed. li Mr. Ramsay:- 1 "There is one item on the Minutes which will arise under Item 6 on the Agenda which, witb your permission, 1 propose to defer dealing with until it arises. 1 Gentlemen, the Annual Report has been circulated to you but 1 am sure it is your wish tbat at this gathering to-day we should express the very deep regret of every Rugby footballer throughout the world at the sad loss we have suffered through the death df AdmiraI Sir Percy Royds. AdmiraI Royds was one of the celebrities of Rugby Football and bis presenc~ and his influence will be mu ch missed by everyone who knew him and by everyone who has studied the Ilaws of the Game. We have also suffered a grievous loss by the death of Gordon Whittaker, the President rind Secretary of Lancashire, and to AdmiraI Royds' daughter, and to Mrs. Whittaker we have conveyed the deep sympathy and appreciation of their services from everybody in Rugby football. '1 1 1 have also to record with pride and pleasure the visit to Twickenham this year of Her Majesty Tbe Queen, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, and H.R.H. Prince Charles making his first appearance at any sporting ground. They visited Twickenham on the bccasion of the N avy v., Army match when the Services invited me to receive them on behalf of· aH Rugby footballers, and it was indeed an honour to welcome Prince Charles so early in bis career. ; Lancashire, as you know, won the County Championship with Middlesex runners up, and we offer them our congratulations, and to the other Counties our sympathy. AlI this is recorded in our Report. In my opinion, the main interest of last Seasqn was the introduction of the new Laws. It is too early as yet, 1 think, to form any opinion as to whethe~ these new Laws are going to influence the game in the way it is hoped they will do. It is often said that the players do not read the Laws. This, 1 am sure, is quite untrue, and to-day and in the years since the war, the Laws of Rugby Football have ne ver been more closely read. Of course, you cannot learn the game of Rugby Football by reading the Laws. It is neces­ sary to absorb them and understand them. It is like taking a car to France. You read that the law is to drive on the right-hand side of the road, but when you come ta the crossings and emergencies, you are liable ta get into trouble and incur a penalty. So it has been with the new Laws; as both players and referees have found, and they are groping for an accurate unq.erstanding and knowledge of their interpretation. That, 1 am quite certain, will come, but if, perchance, they do not attain their objective by opening up the game and reducing the number of stoppages, then 1 feel that wll.en the International Board meets again, we will have to consider further measures for reducing the penalty infringements and their consequent holding up of the game. 1 The International season was a somewhat disappointing one. Everybody who saw the matches must have thought at the beginning that we had produced the most 'magnificent team since the war and undoubtedly they had great promise, but for sorne reasori we failed to maintain our standard. Nevertheless we had a very successful and happy year and 1 would express the thanks of everybody in Rugby football to the Selectors for their arduous, responsible and difficult task which calls upon them to travel many thousands of miles in se arch of players, and to meet for long hours in deliberation as to the choice of their members. To each and. of course, to Catcheside their Ghairmân, we do extend oJlr deepest gratitude, and we rejoice to know Carson Catcheside has been restored to hei!-lth and has consented to continue in the position as Chairman for another 12 months. 1 1 During my year of office 1 have had the pleasure and privilege of visiting many Clubs and 1 wish to say how thoroughly grateful 1 am to everybody for the: very warm welcome and for the wonderful hospitality which has been extended to me.