Birth name | Thomas Arthur Nelson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 22 September 1876 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 9 April 1917 | (aged 40)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Arras, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Thomas Arthur Nelson MID (22 September 1876 – 9 April 1917) was a Scotland international rugby union player. He later became a book publisher in his family's firm of Thomas Nelson and Sons. He was killed in the First World War. [1]
He was born on 22 September 1876, the son of the publisher Thomas Nelson and his wife Jessie Kemp. [2] The family lived in the house of their grandfather Thomas Nelson: Abden House on the south of Edinburgh, the grandfather having died in 1861. [3] His father built a new house, St Leonards, in the grounds of Abden House and the family moved there on its completion in 1890. [4]
Nelson obtained an estate at Achnacloich, on the shore of Loch Etive near Oban. He spent a considerable part of each year there. [5]
He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, where he became a rugby union player. [6] He played for a combined Edinburgh Academy - Watsons College schoolboy side in January 1895. [7]
He then went to study Classics at Oxford University, where he befriended John Buchan. Nelson played rugby union for Oxford University, [8] playing for them from 1896. [9] [10] He captained the side in 1900. [11]
Nelson was named in the Anglo-Scots side to face South of Scotland District on 25 December 1897. [12] The match was called off. [13]
He was originally named in the Provinces District side in December 1898, but his selection fell through. [14] It was remarked that Nelson was not expected to turn out for the Provinces District in their match against Cities District on 14 January 1899. [15]
Nelson was capped for Scotland in 1898. [8] He rivalled Allan Smith for a place in the international side. It was thought that Nelson would get a place at Centre in front of the Smith for the Ireland match as Smith was struggling for fitness. [16] Smith started that match, but Nelson played alongside Smith at Centre for the match against England. [17]
The John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) is dedicated to him. Nelson and Buchan had been friends since Nelson was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford. [18] He became head of the family publishing firm of Thomas Nelson and Sons, which employed Buchan as literary advisor and was one of the writer's publishers. [19]
He was noted as a benevolent owner of the company. The publishing house had an athletics club and Nelson gave over a portion of his family estate so that the club could use it. The company was noted as a pioneer in looking after the health of its employees at the time; by employing an official to look after their health. [5]
At the First World War, Nelson became a Captain with the Lothians and Border Horse attached to the Machine Gun Corps. [8] He then moved to special service. [20]He joined the Tank service in early 1917. [21]
Nelson was killed on 9 April 1917 on the first day of the Battle of Arras in World War I [22] He was killed by a stray shell. [5] He had been on the front for 18 months. [5]
He is buried in Faubourg D'Amiens Cemetery, near Arras, grave reference VII.G.26, [23] He is also memorialised on his parents grave in Grange Cemetery in south Edinburgh.[ citation needed] and on the Scottish Rugby Union War Memorial at Murrayfield Stadium. The Hull Daily Mail headlined A Publishers Fortune detailing that Nelson of Achnacloich in Argyll left an estate of £470,782. [11] £219,300 of that estate represented his holding in the publishing firm. [24]
In 1903 he was married to Margaret Balfour, daughter of the Liverpool merchant, Alexander Balfour. [25] [26] They had six children, including Alexander Ronan Nelson (1906–1997) and Elisabeth Nelson (1912–1999), who married Lord Bryan Walter Guinness, then becoming Lady Moyne, Elizabeth Guinness. [2]
Following his death Margaret married Paul Maze (1887–1979), a Frenchman, and became known as Margaret Balfour Nelson Maze. [27]
Birth name | Thomas Arthur Nelson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 22 September 1876 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 9 April 1917 | (aged 40)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Arras, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Thomas Arthur Nelson MID (22 September 1876 – 9 April 1917) was a Scotland international rugby union player. He later became a book publisher in his family's firm of Thomas Nelson and Sons. He was killed in the First World War. [1]
He was born on 22 September 1876, the son of the publisher Thomas Nelson and his wife Jessie Kemp. [2] The family lived in the house of their grandfather Thomas Nelson: Abden House on the south of Edinburgh, the grandfather having died in 1861. [3] His father built a new house, St Leonards, in the grounds of Abden House and the family moved there on its completion in 1890. [4]
Nelson obtained an estate at Achnacloich, on the shore of Loch Etive near Oban. He spent a considerable part of each year there. [5]
He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, where he became a rugby union player. [6] He played for a combined Edinburgh Academy - Watsons College schoolboy side in January 1895. [7]
He then went to study Classics at Oxford University, where he befriended John Buchan. Nelson played rugby union for Oxford University, [8] playing for them from 1896. [9] [10] He captained the side in 1900. [11]
Nelson was named in the Anglo-Scots side to face South of Scotland District on 25 December 1897. [12] The match was called off. [13]
He was originally named in the Provinces District side in December 1898, but his selection fell through. [14] It was remarked that Nelson was not expected to turn out for the Provinces District in their match against Cities District on 14 January 1899. [15]
Nelson was capped for Scotland in 1898. [8] He rivalled Allan Smith for a place in the international side. It was thought that Nelson would get a place at Centre in front of the Smith for the Ireland match as Smith was struggling for fitness. [16] Smith started that match, but Nelson played alongside Smith at Centre for the match against England. [17]
The John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) is dedicated to him. Nelson and Buchan had been friends since Nelson was an undergraduate at University College, Oxford. [18] He became head of the family publishing firm of Thomas Nelson and Sons, which employed Buchan as literary advisor and was one of the writer's publishers. [19]
He was noted as a benevolent owner of the company. The publishing house had an athletics club and Nelson gave over a portion of his family estate so that the club could use it. The company was noted as a pioneer in looking after the health of its employees at the time; by employing an official to look after their health. [5]
At the First World War, Nelson became a Captain with the Lothians and Border Horse attached to the Machine Gun Corps. [8] He then moved to special service. [20]He joined the Tank service in early 1917. [21]
Nelson was killed on 9 April 1917 on the first day of the Battle of Arras in World War I [22] He was killed by a stray shell. [5] He had been on the front for 18 months. [5]
He is buried in Faubourg D'Amiens Cemetery, near Arras, grave reference VII.G.26, [23] He is also memorialised on his parents grave in Grange Cemetery in south Edinburgh.[ citation needed] and on the Scottish Rugby Union War Memorial at Murrayfield Stadium. The Hull Daily Mail headlined A Publishers Fortune detailing that Nelson of Achnacloich in Argyll left an estate of £470,782. [11] £219,300 of that estate represented his holding in the publishing firm. [24]
In 1903 he was married to Margaret Balfour, daughter of the Liverpool merchant, Alexander Balfour. [25] [26] They had six children, including Alexander Ronan Nelson (1906–1997) and Elisabeth Nelson (1912–1999), who married Lord Bryan Walter Guinness, then becoming Lady Moyne, Elizabeth Guinness. [2]
Following his death Margaret married Paul Maze (1887–1979), a Frenchman, and became known as Margaret Balfour Nelson Maze. [27]