Dignitaries, including the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and the armed forces came together at Headingley Carnegie Stadium for the unveiling of a marble memorial stone, erected in honour of the 16 Leeds Rugby League players who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War.
Over the past year work has been undertaken by the Heritage Committee of the Leeds Rhinos Foundation to commission the stone which was unveiled by Air CDRE Dean Andrew OBE MA MBA RAF, president of the Rugby Football League and blessed by Leeds Rhinos chaplain the Reverend Stephen Mitchell.
The ceremony was attended by relatives of some of the players honoured including Andy Jarman, grandson of international Billy Jarman, who fought and died at the Battle of the Somme in August 1916.
“My wife, Karen and I were honoured and humbled to be invited to Headingley for the unveiling ceremony of the First World War memorial plaque,” he said.
“It was a privilege to be able to speak to those present about the life of Samuel William (Billy) Jarman, his rugby career with Leeds and England and his contribution to the Battle of The Somme.
“I am extremely grateful to those who made this possible. Billy is one of the thousands who have an unmarked grave, this permanent memorial will keep his memory alive. It was a unique and memorable day.”
Speaking on behalf of the Heritage Committee, its chairman Phil Caplan commented: “When the LRF heritage committee was established, we felt we had a duty not just to preserve and uncover the past but to respect and honour it.
“Not merely to see that events were properly researched and recorded but by telling the stories and properly commemorating the deeds of those associated with a club of such worldwide renown.”
Current Rhinos star Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who is also a trustee for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, read a poem by Wilfred Owen at the unveiling.
“It's important for the club, it's important for the Foundation but it's important for the city to recognise these people who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the liberty of those of us who are able to play great sports like rugby league because of it,” he noted.
“Big credit has got to go out to the heritage committee who make sure that these things happen at our great club.”
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Great Grandson of Billy Jarman raising money for a worthy cause with cycle ride home from Australia
Great Grandson of Samuel William 'Billy' Jarman, Tom has been shadowing the footsteps of his Great Grandfather's overseas rugby league exploits and the backdrop of his international debut for Great Britain in 1914 where Billy inspired the Lions to a 23-5 win in the series opener against Australia.
Tom Jarman who still resides in West Yorkshire in Pudsey is currently cycling home from Australia to raise money for the Children's Heart Surgery Fund at Leeds General Infirmary and his daughter Violet, who was born with a congenital heart problem which she would not have survived without the skill and dedication of the team at LGI.
He has already cycled from Melbourne to Perth via Sydney, Canberra and the Nullarbor Plain (outback / Desert) at a distance of over 5000Km with the total distance of the trip to the order of 27000Km.
Tom has shared his story on JustGiving which contains a fascinating log of his journey to date and a link for charitable donations.
If you would like to support Tom's campaign visit his page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tom-jarman