Welcome to the Oldham
Rugby League Heritage Trust

The Oldham Rugby League Heritage trust was formed by a group of Oldham Rugby League Club supporters who first came together in 1995 to discuss those players to be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

At the time it was realised that that in and around the town there were a number of people who owned items such as representative caps, medals and other important items of memorabilia won by and presented to Oldham players and officials down the years, some of whom wished to donate those items to the ‘Hall of Fame’.

To protect the ownership of this collection and at the same time ensure that it was kept available for generations of Oldhamers to come, the trust was formed.

As a result of the trust’s endeavours the people of Oldham now have access to one of the finest collections of rugby club memorabilia and historical information in the world.

Since 1995 there has been much and varied activity including four books being published, exhibitions organised, Oldham rugby related items purchased at auction, paintings commissioned, commemorative blue plaques organised and installed and streets in the Watersheddings’ area of town named in honour of former club players and officials.

 

 

 

Latest News

Trust purchases the Doug Phillips Tour Collection - Jan 2012

We are pleased to announce that the Trust has now completed the purchase of Doug Phillips's kits from the 1946 & 1950 tours to Australia & New Zealand. The collection includes his jumpers, shorts and socks, along with his tour caps. In addition we also obtained some other shirts and items associated with the tour.

There will be a full anouncement in the press and websites in the near future.

 

The Indomitables - The 1946 Rugby League Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand - New book now available

The 1946 Rugby League Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand is a remarkable story. It marked the relaunch of international rugby league in a world still devastated by the Second World War. It was also a great success for the Lions, as they won the Ashes and were the first team to be unbeaten in an Ashes series, despite an infamous sending-off in the first test.
The players travelled to Australia on the Aircraft Carrier HMS Indomitable. They faced a gruelling schedule, playing 20 games in Australia in two months, and a further seven in New Zealand.................

The book features Oldham's Doug Phillip's famous tour diary in full....

See here how to buy this book

 

The King of Brilliance: James Lomas – A Rugby League Superstar - New book now available

Born in the west Cumbrian town of Maryport, James ‘Jimmy’ Lomas was one of the Northern Union’s earliest stars. Its first tour captain in 1910, one journalist claimed that ‘when Lomas was on the field you never noticed anybody else.’ Playing at stand-off or centre, he was a prolific point scorer, his career total of 2,312 constituting a record for the code at the time of his retirement in 1923. Following a world record transfer to Oldham in 1911.........

See here how to buy this book

Geoff Robinson - RIP 15.12.11

GEOFF Robinson, the speedy back-row forward who played 177 first-class games for Oldham RL Club between 1959 and 1965, has died in his native Cumbria at the age of 77. His funeral took on Monday 19th December 2011, in a village near Penrith where he had lived for several years.

His signing from Whitehaven shortly before the start of the 1959-60 season hit the rugby league headlines because Oldham paid a transfer fee of £9,000 which was then a world record for a forward.

Click here for further details

Heritage Trust publications in NZ

Demand for publications from the Heritage Trust continues around the world. Current Kiwi international Manu Vatuvei has been snapped with "Kangaroos, Kiwis & Roughyeds" and the "Complete History of Oldham RLFC". Thanks to Glen Dunkerley, an ex-oldhamer now living in New Zealand.

Click here for a feature and photographs

Charlie McCourt Memorial

Eurotunnel have recently erected a memorial in the memory of the eleven people who tragically lost their lives during the construction. One of these was former Oldham RLFC player Charlie McCourt an electrician by trade who died as a result of a tragic accident inside the tunnel in 1990. His name is one of the eleven featured on the memorial.

Click here for a feature and photographs of the memorial and the 1968 team he played in.

2012 Exhibition

The Heritage Trust will be holding an exhibition running in the Community Gallery in Gallery Oldham, from 14th July to 23rd September 2012. Featuring some of the previously unseen works of art and images in the Trust's collection, it is hoped to be a taster for a full exhibition to follow shortly after.

We will post further details nearer the time of the exhibition.

2011 Exhibition - The George Hotel,Huddersfield -

Ongoing Roughyeds Exhibition

Why not visit the renowned George Hotel in Huddersfield - the birthplace of rugby league – and venue to the excellent Rugby League Heritage Centre where there is a permanent display depicting the history of the Roughyeds? Sponsored by Gillette the centre plots the history of the sport and its personalities using plasma screens and state-of-the-art graphics punctuated by items that makes up a most magnificent memorabilia collection.

Click here to see the "Exhibitions" page

Heritage Trust Bookshop

The Oldham Rugby League Heritage Trust will shortly be making vailable a large amount of Rugby League books available to supporters through our website.

All purchases are despatched directly from the publisher and by making your purchases this way, the trust benefits as well.