Sporting Bygones: Brave young men of the Catterick garrison whose union days highlighted their national conscription

That applies especially for those who served with the Royal Signals at Catterick.

In the days when the two codes of rugby were bitter opponents and playing the league variety meant excommunication for a union man, the armed forces played only one game of rugby and that was to Twickenham laws which meant that any league player, professional or amateur, had no alternative if he wished to play the game.

It also meant that some units had outstanding rugby teams, blending together top players from both codes, and in that department no-one outshone the Royal Signals.

Next month, a collection of once redoubtable rugby men will come together for a reunion of the Signals line-ups from the early Fifties, a time when the Catterick-based team carried all before them, winning the Army and Yorkshire Cups and taking on the top club teams in the North.

The get-together, to be held at the Craiglands Hotel in Ilkley on October 12, is being organised by Donald Holdsworth, who later captained Otley and Yorkshire, and among those in attendance will be rugby league immortals Billy Boston, Phil Jackson and Brian Gabbitas as well as British Lions Phil Horrocks-Taylor, Reg Higgins and Russell Robins.

The team was managed by Major Gordon Fraser – known, outside his hearing, to everyone at Catterick as "Crow".

"He had a network of contacts in rugby all over the country who would alert him to promising rugby players about to be called up," says Holdsworth.

"He would write to them and advise that when they signed on and were asked which regiment they wanted to join to say the Royal Signals. Then, he insisted, when you went for your medical, it was essential that you again named the Signals as your regiment of choice.

"He would emphasise that the Signals had a great rugby tradition with their own clubhouse, that as rugby players we would enjoy training and having a good time together

"After square-bashing we had further selection and specialist training which was rigorous and thorough. The Army did not mess about; they might have wanted rugby players but the job came first.

"We trained every night and the union boys were amazed to see the league players doing their sprints wearing spikes.

"We played our Army Cup and Regimental matches in midweek and on Saturdays took on good sides from all over the North; we once went to Blundellsands and beat Waterloo – who had seven internationals in their team – 35-0.

"Our success did not make us too popular among the other regiments or with the hierarchy. There was a match, I think it was against a team of medics, when we led 67-0 at half-time – Boston had scored seven tries – and 'Crow' told us to ease off so we didn't cause any animosity."

After-match entertainment was taken as seriously as the rugby and Holdsworth recalls the evening after one of their Army Cup final successes. "We had beaten the South Wales Borderers in Hannover and as the night wore on Billy told me it was my turn to buy the drinks – he organised everything, never mind the officers – so I went to the NAAFI bar for a bottle of gin. It cost me three shillings and nine pence.

"The night ended with Higgins climbing three flights of stairs in our accommodation with Spillane unconscious on his back."

Doubtless that match and many others will be recalled when the Signals men gather again. Jackson is travelling from Australia, Boston – as befits a rugby legend – is being escorted to the function by the MP for Wigan, Robins is coming up from Wales, Dick Manley from Exeter and Jim Turner is having a break from his farm near Berwick-on-Tweed.

Several others have less far to travel, including Yorkshire-based Gabbitas, Horrocks-Taylor, Ian Black, Eric Sutton and Jimmy Dunn while Norman Mackie and Higgins have passed away and a handful of others are unable to make the journey.

And, as a further reminder of how times have changed, Holdsworth made a final point: every one of the 12 who have committed to be at the reunion in Ilkley has been married for over 50 years. They were indeed different days.

If you played with or against the Royal Signals in the Fifties – whether from a union or league background – you are invited to join them in the reunion on October 12. Contact Debbie at the Craiglands Hotel on 01943430001 or email [email protected]. Tickets cost 30.