A Lions tourist in 1910, Welshman Harry Jarman was a hero in the truest sense of the word.
The first product of the Pontypool club to earn selection for a Lions tour, Jarman played a total of 17 matches, including all three Tests, during the three-month stay in South Africa.
At the time of the last pre-First World War tour, Jarman was plying his trade with Poolers’ Gwent rivals Newport and was enjoying his first season of international rugby with Wales.
He was hugely admired for his performances in a Lions shirt, particularly for his commanding display in the second Test win over the Springboks in Port Elizabeth.
The destructive yet mobile forward received plenty of praise from the South African critics yet it was his actions off the field of play for which he will be forever remembered.
Like many of his national team-mates, Jarman was part of the Welsh mining industry, working as a blacksmith at a colliery in Talywain near Pontypool.
Some 18 years after returning from South Africa, Jarman came to the rescue of several children who were playing on a colliery tramway. Jarman heroically threw himself in front of a runaway wagon, derailing the truck and saving the lives of the children towards which the wagon had been careering.
Jarman’s actions prevented any of the children from sustaining serious injuries but he himself was not so fortunate.
Although he survived the impact of the initial incident, complications set in and Jarman lost his life just before Christmas 1928. He was just 45 years old.
Harry Jarman’s factfile
Date of birth: July 1 1883
Clubs: Pontypool, Newport, Talywain
International caps: Wales 4
Height: 6ft (1.83m)
Weight: 13 stone 3lbs (84kg)
Jarman’s Lions lowdown
Lions debut: Versus South Western Districts, June 11, 1910
Lions Tests: 3 (All three Tests in 1910)
Lions non-Test appearances: 14
Total Lions appearances: 17
Lions points: 5* (one try) *under the current scoring system
Final Lions appearance: Versus South Africa, Cape Town, September 2, 1910
