Donny Innes (16 September 1917 – 21 January 2012) was a

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player and a doctor who worked as a

general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...

(GP).

Early life

Innes was born on 16 September 1917 in Aberdeen Scotland. His father was a physician and his mother a GP.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

While studying medicine at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

, he played for the

Aberdeen University The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland, petitioned Pope Al ...

rugby union side. His pre-war Scotland caps came with the university side. He played for Aberdeen GSFP. He was a notable

rugby sevens Rugby sevens (commonly known simply as sevens, and originally seven-a-side rugby) is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. R ...

player and led the Co-Optimists to victory in the Murrayfield Sevens tournament in 1939. He played sevens with Aberdeen Nomads that same year.

Provincial career

He was capped for the combined North of Scotland District side in 1935 while only a teenager, playing against a touring

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

side. He was capped for the standalone North of Scotland District He scored a try against Midlands District in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

. He made the

Scotland Probables Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

side in December 1947.

International career

He was capped 8 times for

. He was one of only 5 Scotland internationalists who played before and after the second World War. He also played in 5 services International matches during the war; and the Victory international against England at Twickenham in 1946.

Refereeing career

He refereed the

Blues Trial Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

match against

Whites Trial White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

in the 1951–52 season.

Administrative career

He was on the committee of

North and Midlands North and Midlands - and now known as Caledonia - is a select provincial amateur rugby union team that draws its players mainly from north of Scotland, roughly corresponding from around Stirling northwards. Historically the North and Midlands ...

. He was the

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Now marketed as Scottish Rugby, it is the second-oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league sys ...

president from 1973–74. He became the Aberdeen GSFP president in 1991.

Military career

He was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps as an officer. He saw active service with the 155 and 156 Field Ambulance companies attached to the 52 Lowland Division. When the war finished he was at the rank of Major. He continued with the military after the war in the Territorial Army.

Medical career

Innes completed his medical training as a doctor in 1940. He completed his residency at Woodend and Foresterhill Hospitals. He became a GP after the war at a practice in Rubislaw Terrace. He became a medical officer for HM Prison Craiginches in 1949 until he retired. He was present at Scotland's last execution in 1963. Innes died in Aberdeen on 21 January 2012 at the age of 94.

References

1917 births 2012 deaths Scottish rugby union players Scotland international rugby union players Aberdeen GSFP RFC players North of Scotland (standalone) players Scotland Probables players North of Scotland (combined side) players Co-Optimist Rugby Club players Aberdeen University RFC players Aberdeen Nomads RFC players Presidents of the Scottish Rugby Union Rugby union players from Aberdeen Scottish rugby union referees Scottish Districts referees 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish general practitioners Rugby union centres {{Scotland-rugbyunion-bio-1910s-stub