The Society is saddened to announce the death of Cyril Shaw, a Life Vice President of the Society, who passed away late this month.
Cyril was West Region Appointments Manager for 35 years until the late 1990s, but his involvement was society-wide as Cyril also appointed to the majority of Sunday games for many seasons. Usually accompanied by a pint of, preferably, London Pride and recognisable from a distance by the plume of smoke from his pipe, Cyril was a man of short stature but a giant in every sense. A tax professional by background (who worked historically at BP), he was remembered for many things, including the need to decipher his handwriting back in the days when appointments were made by hand on pre-printed postcards and handed out at the regular Society meetings held at the Institute of Child Health. Cyril’s legendary status was cemented further every year with his commandeering of the RE control caravan for the Rosslyn Park 7s (a much smaller event compared with nowadays), which gave rise to many a tale that members of a certain vintage fondly remember.
Cyril had many contacts in the city whilst at BP and which he retained after retirement. Many of the 7s tournaments at Richmond would be appointed by Cyril and his band of trusted officials, with Richmond being his main club (where he was Richmond’s main referee contact for many years after he handed over West Region appointments to Gary Dibden). Cyril also championed women’s rugby when it was in its infancy in the ‘80s and would think nothing of refereeing consecutive games on both days of the weekend well into his 70s.
Outside of rugby, Cyril was also, whilst at BP and long into his retirement, the heart and soul of BP’s rowing club (now no more) in Teddington. Cyril also became a member of the Tax Tribunals service and received an MBE in the 2010 Honours List for his work there. In recent years, he was a churchwarden and verger at St Mary’s Church in Teddington and only recently ceased his active involvement there.