Bert Holcroft was an English former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer, coach and writer on rugby league coaching.

Military service

Bert Holcroft joined the Royal Navy at aged 18 and was 20 when he served aboard the HMS ''Petunia''. On 6 June 1944, HMS ''Petunia'' was among the naval force that took part in the invasion of Normandy, and on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

. HMS ''Petunia'' was an escort vessel for one of the assault convoys. During the assault the ship received a "

mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiz ...

" from an American tank landing ship that had struck a mine. Holcroft was among those who saved 60 of the soldiers from the tank landing ship. In 2016 Holcroft was decorated with the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

by the French government - an award Holcroft dedicated to the men saved on D-Day.

Rugby league

After the war Bert Holcroft played rugby league for amateur team Wigan Road Working Men's RLFC as well as the reserve team of

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

. He also coached the B and Colts junior teams for Leigh. In the 1960s Holcroft and his wife, Bridget, moved to Australia where he coached junior side Murwillumbah Brothers to successive premierships in the Tweed Rugby League in 1961 and 1962. Holcroft also coached the Bundaberg representative team where he introduced new training techniques relating to diet and weight training. Holcroft was appointed as coach of Eastern Suburbs in the

New South Wales Rugby League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...

in 1965. Easts were a weak side at the time, having won just five matches in the two preceding seasons under Dick Dunn and fellow Englishman Nat Silcock Jr.. Under Holcroft they only won three games of 36 contested in the two seasons he was in charge; in 1966 Easts became the most recent () premiership team not to win a game during a season. Over the years Holcroft developed his training and fitness techniques into a series of books for rugby and football. Holcroft died on August 17, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holcroft, Bert 1925 births 2021 deaths English rugby league coaches English rugby league players Rugby league players from Leigh, Greater Manchester Sydney Roosters coaches British recipients of the Legion of Honour