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The Chartered Accountants Rugby Football Club

Author: Library & Information Service

Published: 04 Apr 2025

A team photograph of a rugby team from the 1930s
Step back in time with this remarkable photograph, picturing a group of young men on the brink of the Second World War. Our Library team looked into what their lives had in store for them.

In early 2025, an inventory of a storage area uncovered a set of photographs of the Chartered Accountants Rugby Football Team from various seasons in the 1930s. Of particular interest was the photograph of the 1938/39 team as we recognised several of the names from our research into Members and Articled Clerks during wartime.

We have attempted to match the names with members who appear in various post war List of Members, or exam results of Articled Clerks who may not have gone on to membership of the ICAEW. These were then cross-referenced with available military records.

Can you help us identify these faces from the past?

We are looking for help in identifying a few team members. While we haven’t yet been able to connect them to ICAEW, we are hoping that new information could emerge — and that’s where you might come in. If you recognise anyone or have any details that might help, we’d love to hear from you.

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
R. W. West (Hon. Sec.)
  • List of Members 1947: West, Reginald William OBE, FCA (1927) ACA (1922) (West, Wake & Price & Co) and (Baggely, Oakes & Co)
  • List of Members 1950: ditto
  • List of Members 1957: (West, Wake & Price & Co) and (Baggely, Oakes & Co) and (R.C. Fielder & Co)

West is also in the team photographs for 1935/6, 1931/2 (as a player), 1930/31, 1928/29, 1927/28 (as a player) and also in two undated ones (one as a player). 

Is probably:

  • Colonel Reginald William West, Central sector, Bedfordshire Home Guard (OBE 1944). Likely to have also served in WW1.

 

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
W.F. Dunnett
  • No entries in List of Members immediately pre or post war
  • No exams taken 1936-1939

Could be:

  • 171632 Lt Colonel  William Farquhar Dunnett, Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, General Service Medal for Palestine 1949. Formerly Captain RAOC.
  • S/158373 Serjeant William Dunnett Royal Army Service Corps. Prisoner of War at Stalag XVII-A and Stalag VIII-A.
Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
P.C. Palmer
  • No entries in List of Members immediately pre or post war
  • No exams taken 1936-1939

105589 Captain Philip Claud Palmer M.C., The Sherwood Foresters. Prisoner of War at Oflag IX-A/Z, having been captured at Salerno in Italy in September 1943.

Palmer was a shipping clerk, who lived in Bushey about 5 miles from the rugby ground.

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
A.J.L. Lewis
  • List of Members 1947: Lewis, Albert John Lister ACA (1945) (Holmes, Cox, Lewis &Co. Bulawayo) Southern Rhodesia
  • List of Members 1950: ditto
  • List of Members 1957 member List: A.J.L Lewis & Co, Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia

187571 2nd Lieutenant Albert John Lister Lewis, Royal Artillery.

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
G. Looseley

 

  • Preliminary Examination taken in May 1934 while a student at Imperial Service College, Windsor.
  • Registered as articled clerk with Charles Edward Fletcher of Cooper Brothers & Co.  in September 1934 on a 5 year term, but did not sit Intermediate or Final Examinations.

113688 Lieutenant George Henry Hugh Loosely, Medium Artillery. Saw action in Africa and Italy. Discharged in March 1946.

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
M.G. Wittet
  • List of Members 1947: Wittet, Michael George ACA (1945) with Whinney, Murray & Co, Haifa, Palestine
  • List of Members 1950: Whinney, Murray & Co, Beirut, Lebanon
  • List of Members 1957: (Graham, Smart & Annan) and (Dewar & Robinson) Edinburgh and London

129457 Lieutenant Michael George Wittet, The Royal Scots (Royal Regiment). Prisoner of War at Oflag VII-C.

 
Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
R.A. Chant

Chant, Richard Anthony 958288 Leading aircraftman RAFVR, Killed on active service 2 December 1940.

5 Service Flying Training School, Flying Training Command, Ternhill, Shropshire. Pilot under training, killed while flying. Dived into the ground near Peplow, Shropshire soon after taking off on a dual instruction flight, possibly due to disorientation in cloud.
Buried at St Peter Church Cemetery, Stoke on Tern, Shropshire.

Chant had passed his Preliminary examination in November 1936, whilst a pupil at Shrewsbury School.

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
L. Jones

The List of Members 1947 list the following L Jones:

  • Jones, Laurence Fletcher; A.C.A., 1925; (Baker, Jones & Co), Wolverhampton
  • Jones, Laurence William; A.C.A., 1931; (Jones & Jones, gateshead and Washington.
  • Jones, Leonard; F.C.A. 1944; A.C.A., 1932 (L.G. Jones & Co) London E.C.2
  • Jones, Leslie; A.C.A. 1938, Liverpool. Not in practice
  • Jones, Leslie Francis Hope; F.C.A. 1945; A.C.A. 1936. Lymington and at Lyndhurst and New Milton.
  • Jones, Llewelyn Lloyd; A.C.A. 1943. Llandudno. Not in practice

 

 

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
H.F. Seare
  • List of Members 1947: Seare, Henry Shepard ACA (1940) with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co London EC2
  • List of Members 1950: ditto
  • List of Members 1957: Chief travelling auditor, Canadian Pacific Railroad, Montreal Canada

Seare was also a member of the Society of Incorporated Accountants (1934)

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
M.W. Lakeman
  • 1939 List of Members: Lakeman, Morris William ACA (1935) Layton-Bennett & Co, EC2.

Articled with A.J Reddaway, London.

Lakeman was team captain in 1935/36 and also appeared in the pictures for 1931/32 and 1933/34.

1452605 Morris William Lakeman, Lance-Bombardier  282/88 Anti-Aircraft Regimen, Royal Artillery. Killed on active service 18 September 1940  ‘accidentally killed’.
Buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery. Please Note: Commonwealth War Grave Commission currently has Lakeman registered as 'Maurice'.

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
P.B. Bishop (Captain)
  • List of Members 1947: Bishop, Peter Bernard MC ACA (1937). Not in practice.
  • List of Members 1950: Surrey, Bishop & Co EC2 and at Hendon.
  • List of Members 1957: FCA (1954), Surrey, Bishop & Co EC2 and at Hendon.

Bishop was also in the team pictures for 1933/34 and 1935/36.

153495 Major (temporary) Peter Bernard Bishop, 2nd regiment Royal Horse Artillery. MC awarded June 1944 (for gallant and distinguished service in Italy). Saw action in Italy and Africa.

 

 
Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
J.P. Kelly
  • List of Members 1947: Kelly, John Patrick ACA (1936) with Cooper Brothers & Co
  • List of Members 1950: with Deloitte, Plender, Haskins & Sells, Havana, Cuba
  • List of Members 1957: Comptroller Compania Peruana de Telefonas Limitada. Lima, Peru

Kelly was also in the team picture for 1935/36 and 1930/31.

Could be:

  • John Patrick Kelly, Sub-Lieutenant Royal Marines. Acting Captain, Distinguished Service Medal Dec 1940.
Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
D. G. Hines
  • List of Members 1947: Hines, David Gordon ACA (1938) The Treasury, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika not in practice
  • List of Members 1950: ditto
  • List of Members 1957: Cooperative Development Department, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika

Hines was also in the team picture for 1935/36.

Could be:

  • 322324 Lieutenant David Gordon Hines, General list, Infantry (ACF Section)
Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
D. Liddell
  • No entries in Lists of Members immediately pre or post war
  • No exams taken 1936-1939

Could be:

  • There are dozens of Liddells with first initial of D in military records for WW2
Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
G.B. Whiteaway
  • No entries in List of Members immediately pre or post war
  • No exams taken 1936-1939

Could be:

  • 243811 Lieutenant George Beresford Whiteaway. Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. Saw action in Africa.

 

Headshot of a rugby player from a team photo
A. Lindsay
  • No entries in List of Members immediately pre or post war
  • No exams taken 1936-1939

Could be:

  • There are dozens of Lindsays with first initial of A in military records for WW2

 

Further content

Roll of Honour

Lists of ICAEW Members and Articled Clerks who died in World War 2.

ICAEW members Articled Clerks
Jean Laidlaw

A young woman (and future Chartered Accountant) and her part in defeating the German U Boat menace.

Read the story