Alexander Obolensky
| Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky |
|
|---|---|
Obolensky scored on his England debut in their win over New Zealand in January 1936
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| Born |
17 February 1916 Petrograd, Russian Empire |
| Died | 29 March 1940 (aged 24) RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, UK |
| Cause of death | Aircrash |
| Resting place | Ipswich New Cemetery, Ipswich, Suffolk |
| Nationality | Russian (later British) |
| Education | Brasenose College, Oxford |
| Occupation | RAF officer |
| Known for | Rugby international |
| Title | Prince |
| Parent(s) | Prince Serge Obolensky Princess Lubov' Naryshkina |
| Relatives | Obolensky family |
Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky (Russian: Александр Серге́евич Оболенский; 17 February 1916 — 29 March 1940) was a Rurikid prince of Russian origin who became a naturalised Briton, having spent most of his life in England, and who went on to represent England in international rugby union. He was, and remains, popularly known as "The Flying Prince", "The Flying Slav", or simply as "Obo" to many sports fans.
A member of the Rurik dynasty, he was born at Petrograd (now Saint Petersburg) on 17 February 1916, the son of Prince Sergei Alexandrovich Obolensky, an officer in the Tsar's Imperial Horse Guards and his wife Princess Lubov' (née Naryshkina). The family name derives from the ancient Russian city of Obolensk; they fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and settled in Muswell Hill, London. He was appointed a Knight of St John in 1938.
Obolensky was educated at The Ashe boys' preparatory school, Etwall and Trent College, Long Eaton, both in Derbyshire, before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford in Michaelmas 1934, where he held a College Exhibition and read Politics, Philosophy and Economics; he graduated with a Fourth Class degree (BA (Oxon)) in 1938. At Oxford he won two rugby blues representing Oxford University RFC as a wing/three-quarter. Having previously played for Chesterfield FC whilst still at school, he played for Leicester FC between 1934 and 1939, as well as Rosslyn Park FC; his selection for England caused a stir because he was not a British subject, although he was naturalised British in March 1936.
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