David Bedell-Sivright

David Bedell-Sivright

Birth name	David Revell Bedell-Sivright
Date of birth	(1880-12-08)8 December 1880
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland[1]
Date of death	5 September 1915(1915-09-05) (aged 34)
Place of death	Gallipoli, Ottoman Turkey
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
School	Fettes College
University	Trinity College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)	Surgeon
Rugby union career
Position(s) Forward Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1899–1903 Cambridge University R.U.F.C. () Edinburgh University RFC () 1901 Fettesian-Lorettonian Club () 1903–07 Barbarians[2] () 1904– West of Scotland F.C. () – Edinburgh Wanderers FC () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) Edinburgh District () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1900–08 Scotland 22 (9) 1903–04 British Isles 1 (0)
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Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1915
Rank	Surgeon
Unit	Portsmouth Battalion, Royal Marine Light Infantry
Battles / wars	First World War Gallipoli campaign  (DOW)

David Revell "Darkie" Bedell-Sivright (8 December 1880 – 5 September 1915) was a Scottish international rugby union forward who captained both Scotland and the British Isles. Born in Edinburgh, and educated at Fettes College where he learned to play rugby, he studied at Cambridge University and earned four Blues playing for them in the Varsity Match. He was first selected for Scotland in 1900 in a match against Wales. After playing in all of Scotland's Home Nations Championship matches in 1901, 1902 and 1903, Bedell-Sivright toured with the British Isles side – now known as the British & Irish Lions – that toured South Africa in 1903. After playing the first 12 matches of the tour, he was injured and so did not play in any of the Test matches against South Africa.

The next year Bedell-Sivright was appointed captain for the British Isles team that toured Australia and New Zealand. Due to a broken leg he played only one Test match during the tour – against Australia – but was involved in a notable incident during a non-Test match. Despite not playing, Bedell-Sivright pulled the British team from the field for 20 minutes after disputing the decision by a local referee to send-off one of their players. Bedell-Sivright eventually allowed his side to resume play, but without their ejected teammate.

Following the tour Bedell-Sivright briefly settled in Australia, before returning to Scotland to study medicine. He captained Scotland against the touring New Zealanders in 1905, and in 1906 helped his country defeat the visiting South Africans 6–0. After retiring from international rugby in 1908 he went on to become Scotland's amateur boxing champion. A surgeon by profession, he joined the Royal Navy during the First World War, and died on active service during the Gallipoli Campaign.

Bedell-Sivright had a reputation as an aggressive and hard rugby player, as well as a ferocious competitor. He was an inaugural inductee into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame, and in 2013 was inducted into the International Rugby Board (IRB) Hall of Fame.