Arthur Singe
Arthur Percy Singe was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented the national side in 1925, becoming Kiwi number 179 in the process. Prior to this he played for the New Zealand Army rugby team in 1919 in Great Britain and South Africa following the end of World War I where he fought. When he returned to New Zealand he played for the Marist rugby club, and then the Marist rugby league club along with several representative sides in both codes.
Early life
Arthur Percy Singe was born in Palmerston North. His correct surname was misspelt as Singe with an 'e' added to the end which eventually became an accepted spelling, which stuck. He was the son of Frances Margaret and William Ping Sing. Arthur had three brothers named Herbert Stanley Sing, Albert Victor Sing, and Robert Francis "Frank" Sing. Little is known about William Ping Sing save that he was born in China. The brothers' mother, Frances, was of Irish descent, born in New Zealand, and came from a "fighting family". Her grandfather had served in the battle of Waterloo and her father in the Crimean War while other relatives served in the New Zealand Wars.When Singe enlisted in the army he recorded his birth date as 4 April 1895, which was not his actual birth date. He was officially too young to serve at this time aged 17 years and 4 months old; however, his two older brothers were already at the front. When he was discharged years later he recorded his birth date as 7 July 1898.
He was the chief focus of an article in the Auckland Star on 31 December 1903. Arthur was appearing in court charged with stealing a horse and cart belonging to George Mills along with ten packets of cigarettes from the same man. The description of Singe was "a tiny little chap under six years old" as he was stood in the box. It was stated that he was "a half-caste Chinese, and his father cooks at one of the city hotels". He was apprehended soon after the theft by a constable while struggling to control the horse in Newton. The boy said he was taking the horse home for his father and in the meantime he had been busy handing out the cigarettes to his friends. The sub-inspector stated that it was "simply ridiculous to charge a child at that age with theft". He went on to explain that Singe's mother was away from Auckland and his father was not able to control him and he "simply ran wild, and his father wished to have him sent to an industrial school". The Bench said that the police should have brought him up on some other charge and the case was dismissed.
He and his brothers were educated at the Marist Brothers school. They enlisted in the army they were living together with their mother on Browning Street, Grey Lynn, in Auckland. Arthur was working as a driver for Marriot & Co. in Parnell at the time.
World War I
Arthur Singe enlisted in the army on 16 November 1915 at the age of 17 and served in the Auckland Mounted Rifles, A Squadron with his brother Albert. He left New Zealand on the Aparima on 29 February 1916 and arrived at Suez on 4 April 1916. Arthur then moved on to France and by this time was part of the 2nd Auckland Brigade still with his brother Albert. His brother Herbert who was with the 1st Auckland Brigade at this time was killed during the Battle of the Somme on 3 July 1916. Albert wrote a tribute to his brother which appeared in the Auckland Star in October 1916 while Arthur also wrote a letter to his mother which had details published in the Auckland Star on 24 August 1916. In it, he said that Albert was about a mile away from him at the time and the bombardment was the worst that the New Zealanders had experienced at that part of the line since they had arrived. He said Albert was working a trench telephone when he was killed. He was buried with a friend who had been killed beside him in the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, France.Arthur went on to say he had secured a promise from a young French girl that she would keep the two graves in order for them. He described her as being "like a mother to us... but she is very young". Chaplain Captain Richards conducted the burial service. After the war, Arthur's brother Albert and his wife had a child whom they named Herbert Stanley Singe, in honour of the child's fallen uncle.
Arthur was wounded in France some time in 1916 though the date was unknown. He rejoined his unit on 21 September of the same year.
On 6 February 1918, his military records show that he joined the XXII Corps Cyclist Battalion which was operating in France and "Cyclist Corps" is marked on his gravestone in Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden. In total, Singe spent 3 years and 363 days of total service with 3 years and 231 of those days served overseas in Egypt and Western Europe.
He was discharged from active service on 15 November 1919 and moved into the Drill Hall on Rutland Street, Auckland. He was to live here while working for the Defence Department until his marriage in August 1921. Singe worked as a military transport driver for the Defence Department from 8 December 1919 until he transferred to the Post and Telegraph Department on 1 May 1922.
Singe was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.
Playing career
Rugby Union
Marist Brothers Old Boys Rugby
Little is known of Arthur Singe's early years playing the rugby game; however, after he returned from the war he and J O'Brien who had also played with him in the New Zealand Army team were acknowledged at their annual meeting on 22 March 1920. Brother Calixtus "on behalf of the members welcomed Messrs J O'Brien and A Singe back to the club".New Zealand Army in Great Britain and France
At the end of World War I the New Zealand armed forces formed several rugby teams to play against a wide variety of opponents through Great Britain and France. Singe was to play for the main New Zealand Army team and later toured South Africa with the side on the way back to New Zealand. He played in the wing-forward position which is now recognised as the flanker position.Singe played against Wales on 1 January at Cardiff Arms Park in Cardiff with the match being drawn 3–3. He then played in matches against the Australian Imperial Forces, the RAF team, and Yorkshire throughout February and March with the New Zealand side winning all of them comfortably. This was followed by a 6 team tournament which became known as the Kings Cup. Singe played in several of the matches. The first was against South African Forces which was won 14–5 in front of 10,000 at Twickenham. Singe played at wing forward and was described as being very fast. They then beat the English side 6–3 at Inverleith, Edinburgh before a loss to Australian Imperial Forces 5–6.
New Zealand had already qualified for the final which was against England and they won by 9–3 with Singe scoring a try. Of Singe it was said "the wing forward – really better described as a scrummage half-back – is the finest spoiler of open play who has been seen on a football field. Although Pillman manfully tried to check him he smothered practically every attempt of the British half-backs to open up the play from the base of the scrummage. And he was equally good at offensive play, not only in diving for the line, but in swinging the ball clear to his backs from the toes of the opposing forwards". His try occurred after a scrummage near the line where Singe "picked up the ball as it came out from the side of the scrummage, made a six feet dive for the line, and just got there". Reporter F. J. Sellicks said that Singe "was out by himself in more ways than one. He is a great player and impressed everybody". Following the final victory New Zealand played on Twickenham again against the French Army and they won 20–3 with Singe scoring another try before a crowd of 15,000.
The New Zealand side then played against the full Welsh international side at Cardiff Arms Park. Singe again playing in the forwards in a 6–3 victory. A following game against United Services on 28 April saw a New Zealand victory by 20–7 with Singe scoring 2 tries. Several more matches were played before the team to tour South Africa departed.