Gerald Hollis
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Gerald Hollis (16 May 1919 – 23 November 2005) was a British rugby player, Royal Navy officer and Church of England priest. He served as Archdeacon of Birmingham from 1974 to 1984.[1]
Hollis played rugby union at a senior level. As a student at Christ Church, Oxford, he was captain of the Oxford University RFC in the late 1930s. During World War II, he played for Sale, the Barbarians, and captained the Combined Services team.[1] Later, he co-wrote with Mark Sugden a coaching manual titled Rugger: Do it this way.[2]
Military service
Hollis was prohibited from active service during World War II as he was colour blind.[2] He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in 1940,[3] and was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1942. He served as a physical training officer at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon.[1] The college was moved to Eaton Hall, Cheshire between 1943 and 1946, because of Nazi bombings.[4]