WAKEFIELD (OF KENDAL), WILLIAM WAVELL WAKEFIELD, BARON

born March 10, 1898, Beckenham, Kent, Eng. died Aug. 12, 1983, Kendal, Cumbria, Eng. also called (1944-63) Sir Wavell Wakefield one of England's finest rugby players, known for his quick speed and skillful dribbling as a forward. "Wakers," as he was affectionately called, was a cofounder (1919) and president (1950-51) of the Rugby Union. He gained the first of 31 caps-an English record for 42 years-in 1920. In the 1922-23 season he was captain of the victorious Cambridge team at the Varsity match and also led the Royal Air Force. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served in the House of Commons from 1935 until 1963, when he was made a baron. (He died without a male heir, and the barony became extinct.) He was also knighted in 1944.