Beschreibung:

A PRESENTATION VOLUME OF 'THE TRIUMPHANT TOUR OF THE N.Z FOOTBALLERS (1905 An Illustrated Record from notes by George H Dixon, Manager of the Team)' published by Geddis & Blomfield, Wellington, binding in gilt tooled dark brown leather with silver NZ fern, the fly-sheets inscribed 'Presented to Mr J Davey on the occasion of the visit of the Anglo Welsh team to New Zealand 1908, by the Cornishmen of Auckland' and with approximately seventy signatures. The book chronicles the trailblazing tour of Europe and USA by 'The Original' All Blacks in 1905, led by captain Dave Gallaher Auctioneer's Note: James Davey played rugby for England in 1908/9, won a silver medal at the 1908 Olympics (Rugby Union) and played 5 matches on the Anglo-Welsh tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1908, including a Test v New Zealand. The 1908 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was the seventh tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to New Zealand and Australia. The tour is often referred to as the Anglo-Welsh Tour as only English and Welsh players were selected due to the Irish and Scottish Rugby Unions not participating. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. Cornishmen were encouraged to emigrate to New Zealand in the late 19th Century because of their hard work ethic and so such Societies as The Cornishmen of Auckland were formed Provenance: private collector vendor from New Zealand