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Steve Darmody

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Steve Darmody
Personal information
Full nameStephen James Darmody
Born(1890-10-12)12 October 1890
Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Died8 April 1969(1969-04-08) (aged 78)
Scotland, United Kingdom
Playing information
PositionWing, Centre, Loose forward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1911–12 South Sydney 21 6 22 62
1912–14 Hull FC 89
Total 110 6 22 0 62
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1911–12 Australia
As of 15 Jul 2021
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1914-18
UnitRoyal Army Service Corps
Battles / warsWorld War I

Steve Darmody (1890–1969) was a pioneer Australian who saw active service in the British army in WWI. He had been an Australian national representative rugby league player and toured with the Australian national team on their 1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain.

Career

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Darmody middle right with fellow Aussies Devereux & Gilbert in Hull 1914

A promising hurdler in his youth, Darmody joined the South Sydney Club in 1910 initially as a goal-kicking winger. He was chosen for the 1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain as versatile forward. He played in six minor matches on the tour, kicking nine goals.[1]

Following the tour he stayed in England and along with Herb Gilbert and Jim Devereux he joined Hull FC for whom he made 89 appearances between 1912 and 1914. Alongside Gilbert and Devereux, Darmody played as a forward in Hull FC's 6–0 victory over Wakefield Trinity in the 1914 Challenge Cup Final during the 1913–14 season at Thrum Hall, Halifax, in front of a crowd of 19,000.[2]

War service

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At the outbreak of World War I, Darmody enlisted in the British Army. He saw service in Flanders as a despatch rider for the Royal Army Service Corps. His foot was mangled in a machinery accident early in the war resulting in the loss of his foot. He had an artificial limb fitted and then re-enlisted.

The Hull club later played a testimonial match for Darmody. In 1921, when the airship R38 split in two over the River Humber and fell into the shallow estuary, Darmody searched through the rubble for survivors and was called to give evidence at the coronial inquest.[3]

After the war he ran a motorcycle business in Hull and lived out his later life in Scotland.

Sources

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  • Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney

References

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