1946 TWICKENHAM TICKETS - WORLD RUBY MUSEUM

This small collection of Twickenham tickets dating from 16 February to 2 March 1946 belonged to the late Eric Martin (Eric Walwyn Ormsby Martin 1900-1973) who was in London just after World War II. They have been donated to our museum by his nephew Hugh Martin.

Eric Martin would have been almost 50 in 1946. He learned to fly in the 1930s but Hugh doesn’t think he ever flew whilst in the Services. He came from Taree, a town on the north coast of New South Wales where he was a solicitor in the firm founded by his father, Lewis Ormsby Martin. L O was the local MP, a cabinet minister in the State Government. Both Lewis and Eric were mayor of Taree in their time.

Hugh's own connection with rugby was as a spectator other than playing at school, he continues........

"........... My class mate was Ken Catchpole. Even as a school player, Ken was amazing on the field.
It was such a tragedy that he was injured at the height of his career. My other rugby acquaintance was Stuart Boland, second row for Australia for some years. He was a year or two behind me at university. My maternal grandfather was a keen rugby player. I have photos of his team dating I believe from the 1880s, as captain holding a ball with “Arfoma F C” on it"

L.O. Martin 1870-1944

	2Y/27	The tickets look to have been obtained from the ticket agency Alfred Hays Ltd, they are contained in a printed envelope by Alfred Hays Ltd theatre concert sports tickets with the sage advice "TO AVOID MISTAKES KINDLY EXAMINE TICKETS"
	2y/13	This Alfred Hays (illustration only) record sleeve gives more information about the company, it would seem that they were in the main musical instrument, gramaphone sales and records specialists who dabbled in the agency and event ticket business. An internet search has identified that it is most likely that the company no longer exists, no current information about it can be found.

Subsequent to the donation of the tickets, Hugh has kindle provided us with more information relating to his family's links to rugby with a couple of digital photos..................

Dear World Rugby Museum.............

These are two photos of my maternal grandfather, A C Ebsworth, which were in my family stuff. Always known as Grandfather Charles. Mounted on cardboard, one mount a bit torn, some foxing and some fading, they needed restoration. I found a bunch of professional digital restorers so got them done.

He was born in the early 1860s, I think 1860 itself, so he was probably in his early 20s in the pictures. He’s the captain holding the ball. On one ball is “Arfoma FC” I believe The Ebsworths had piercing blue eyes which I think you can see in the pictures.

His father, old OBE (Octavius Bailiff Ebsworth) and a number of other family members were involved in the wool trade mainly to England of course. OBE was very important in the early production of cloth in Sydney and had just purchased a machine for processing wool that was the first of its kind in the colony when he caught an infectious disease
(diphtheria I think) from a baby and died deeply in debt. Charles and his younger brother were toddlers. Their elder brothers went out to work to allow the 2 young ones to become lawyers. In 1896 they joined together to form a legal firm of Ebsworth and Ebsworth that was famous in legal circles as 'the' maritime lawyers. He died aged 92
in the early 19 50s.

larger versions of the photos can be found by clicking on the thumbnails below............