Gilbert "Gillie" Harrison (13 June 1858 – 9 November 1894"Death of Mr. Gilbert Harrison." in The London Philatelist, Vol. III, No. 35, November 1894, p. 270.) was an English philatelist, and rugby union footballer who played in the 1870s and 1880s. He was one of the "Fathers of Philately" entered on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1921.
Birth Harrison was born in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Rugby Harrison played at representative level for England, and at club level was captain for Hull FC, as a forward, e.g. front row, lock, or back row. Before Thursday 29 August 1895, Hull F.C. was a rugby union club.Lord Derby (Foreword), Michael E. Ulyatt (Author), Bill Dalton (Author) (Mar 1988). Old Faithful: History of Hull Football Club, 1865–1987. Hutton Press Ltd.
Gillie Harrison won caps for England while at Hull F.C. in 1877 against Ireland, and Scotland, in 1879 against Scotland, and Ireland, in 1880 against Scotland, and in 1885 against Wales, and Ireland.
Philately He joined The Philatelic Society, London, now The Royal Philatelic Society London, in February 1889de Worms, Percy. The Royal Philatelic Society London 1869 – 10–1 April, 919. Bath: 1919. and was an expert on the stamps of Afghanistan, Portuguese India, Kashmir, and on United States postal stationery. It was reported in The London Philatelist that Harrison had spent over £4500 on his United States stamped envelope collection alone but still lacked many varieties."The Difficulty of General Collecting" in The London Philatelist, Vol. XIII, No. 155, November 1904, pp. 263–264. He won a gold medal at the London Philatelic Exhibition 1890 for his display of US stamped envelopes."British International Stamp Exhibitions" by H.R. Holmes in The London Philatelist, Vol. 79, No. 932-933, August–September 1970, pp. 166–170.
He died on 9 November 1894, at Ferriby (Sculcoates), at the age of 36.
His notes for a work on the early postage stamps of Afghanistan, uncompleted at the time of his death, were handed to Edward Denny Bacon and the book was eventually published by the Philatelic Society of India as The Postage Stamps of Afghanistan.Masson, Sir David P. & B. Gordon Jones. The Postage Stamps of Afghanistan. Madras: Higinbotham & Co., Philatelic Society of India, 1908.
Publications Portuguese India. London: Stanley Gibbons, 1893. (With Lieut. F. H. Napier, R.N.) Reprinted from articles in Stanley Gibbons' Monthly Journal. The Nesbitt Stamped Envelopes and Wrappers of the United States of America. A supplement to The London Philatelist, Volume IV, 1895, compiled by Harrison and edited and completed by Edward Denny Bacon.
References
External links Biography of Arthur Budd with an England team photograph including Gilbert Harrison Football; the Rugby union game Search for "Harrison" at rugbyleagueproject.org