Frank Whitcombe

Frank William Whitcombe (29 May 1913 – 17 January 1958) was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s, and 1940s who played rugby union for Cardiff RFC, London Welsh RFC, Aldershot Services and Army Rugby Union, playing at Prop, i.e. number 1 or 3, and at representative level played rugby league for Great Britain, Rugby League XIII, and Wales, and at club level for Broughton Rangers, and Bradford Northern, playing at Prop, i.e. number 8 or 10, during the era of contested scrums.

Whitcombe was one of ten children growing up at 52 Wedmore Road in Grangetown. His Father Frederick William Whitcombe worked as a Blacksmith's striker at the Dry docks His sport was as a prize fighter, Bare-knuckle boxing, at Cardiff Docks known locally as Tiger Bay.

Times would be hard for Gertrude Whitcombe, Frank's mother, but she was a resourceful woman, for income the family firstly had her brother and Samuel & Emily Leonard as lodgers. Mrs Whitcombe would send one of the children to the brewery for a jug of yeast and would brew her own beer, the children would sell this to the neighbours, and she would also make Sloe gin to sell in the Autumn