Henry Swarbrick

HENRY Joseph Bleasdale Swarbrick, a former primary school headteacher in Yorkshire who as a keen rugby player and coach inspired young people to take up the sport, has died aged 81.

Mr Swarbrick, who was always known as Harry, opened Tranmere Park Primary School, Guiseley, as its head in 1971 and many of the staff that he appointed remained friends even after he retired 20 years ago.

He was born in Preston, Lancs, the first son and third of four children of Thomas and Madge Swarbrick. His father worked for the railway and was posted to Leeds when Mr Swarbrick was five, so the family moved to Whitkirk, Leeds.

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He attended St Michael’s College, the Roman Catholic Boys’ Grammar School, and on leaving at 18 went straight into National Service serving for two years with the Yorkshire Light Infantry in Malaya.

On his return, he trained as a teacher at Beckett Park Teacher Training College in Leeds followed by a year at the city’s Carnegie Physical Training College, then the country’s most important centre for the study of sport and sport science.

Sport was a significant part of Mr Swarbrick’s life, in particular fly fishing, rugby union and running, but he was a man of many talents being also an accomplished artist and a keen singer.

He represented both Yorkshire Schoolboys and his college at running, and during his early days as a primary school teacher in Leeds he played rugby for Morley.

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After a short period as a teacher in Leeds, he moved to Slough where he became head of sport at Orchard Secondary Modern School and introduced rugby. Within weeks he was playing for Slough and went on to captain Buckinghamshire.

While at Orchard School he met and married in 1962 his wife Mary, who taught music and maths.

Mr Swarbrick later decided to move into primary school teaching becoming firstly a deputy head, and then head of a primary school in Chorleywood.

But his passion for fly fishing and the River Wharfe in particular meant he always wanted to return to Yorkshire, and his opportunity came with his appointment to Tranmere Park.

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He then joined Otley Rugby Club as a coach, and as he was particularly interested in young people playing the sport became involved with mini-rugby.

He is survived by his wife Mary, daughters Jenny and Maggie, five grandchildren, his two older sisters and younger brother.