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George Clamback details

Started by Max Turner, 30 December, 2024, 01:05:19 AM

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Max Turner

I tried a while ago to verify the details listed for George Clamback on Wikipedia (and now on RLP), but wasn't quite convinced by it. I've finally worked out where the errors and confusion came from. I'll write this out for future reference in case anyone is ever trying to retrace my steps.

I've reached out to Alan Katzmann about Sammy Bryant's details on the Sydney Roosters site. I'm still waiting on a response, but I'll pass on these corrections to him as well.

So, for context: Jacob Frederick Kleinback (later known as Frederick Clamback) married Sarah Ford in Newtown in 1894. They had four children together: Ada Clamback (1898), Frederick Charles Clamback (1901), Edward Ford Clamback (1904), and Harold Norman Clamback (1906).

The Clamback surname appears to be a unique Anglicisation belonging only to this immediate family (at least within NSW), so I think there must have been an assumption that Frederick Charles Clamback was known as George on the basis that he was the only son old enough to have been playing first grade in 1918.

However, here's why this appears to be incorrect:

Here's the clincher that finally made things make sense for me: in 1915, George Henry Ford, son of Mrs F. Clamback, was married to Ivy Lilian Scott Westerman.

So George was actually Sarah's son born prior to her marriage to Frederick Clamback. He was never known as George Clamback on any official records, and the difficulty really came from the fact his birth and death records were not as George Ford but as James Ford. He is George Henry Ford on his marriage record, children's birth records, and for a period in electoral rolls. The James/George name change becomes fairly clear in later electoral rolls by tracing who his wife Ivy is living with. A few newspapers seem to have known this as he is sometimes listed as J. Clamback.

In summary, these are the details I'm suggesting:
Born 30 June 1894 in Newtown NSW, died 25 October 1982. Full name James Henry Claude Ford, and nickname was Clammy

With a note on his page clarifying his names, mentioning the Maizey incident, and later rugby league involvement:

He was born as James Henry Claude Ford but was known as George Henry Ford during his early life. The rugby league world knew him as George Henry Clamback, having informally used the surname of his stepfather. He was named in team lists as G. Clamback or G. H. Clamback, with a few mentions in newspapers as J. Clamback. Later in life, he reverted back to his birth name James on official records.

In 1927, during Easts' round 17 match against Balmain, Clamback suffered a fractured lower jaw inflicted by a punch from an opponent. Balmain's Bill Maizey was charged with assault and the incident received considerable attention by the media. Witnesses were divided on whether it was in fact Maizey who threw the punch at Clamback, resulting in an acquittal by the jury. Clamback subsequently retired from playing to pursue refereeing. He was a first grade touch judge for several years, and later served as president of the Newtown club.

GregRLP

Thanks Max this is great work I've updated the details