Anthony Cottrell (rugby union)

Anthony Cottrell
CBE
Birth nameAnthony Ian Cottrell
Date of birth(1907-02-10)10 February 1907
Place of birthWestport, New Zealand
Date of death10 December 1988(1988-12-10) (aged 81)
Place of deathChristchurch, New Zealand
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight80 kg (180 lb)
SchoolChrist's College
Occupation(s)Barrister and solicitor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker and prop
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1928–34 Canterbury 39 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1929–32 New Zealand 11 (0)

Anthony Ian "Beau" Cottrell CBE (10 February 1907 – 10 December 1988) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A hooker and prop, Cottrell represented Canterbury at a provincial level and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1929 to 1932. He played 22 matches for the All Blacks including 11 internationals.[1] He went on to serve as a member of the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union.[2]

During World War II, Cottrell served as an officer with the New Zealand 20th Battalion. He was taken prisoner-of-war during the First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942, when he was wounded going to the assistance of a wounded man in his platoon.[3]

Cottrell was later an active Rotarian and served as a district governor. In the 1968 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community.[4] In 1977, Cottrell was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[5]

  1. ^ Luxford, Bob. "Beau Cottrell". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Cottrell repatriated". Auckland Star. 30 September 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  3. ^ Glue, W.A.; Pringle, D.J.C. (1957). Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45: 20 Battalion and Armoured Regiment. Wellington: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs. p. 280. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  4. ^ "No. 44486". The London Gazette. 1 January 1968. p. 42.
  5. ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 108. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.