Full name: Thomas Edward Carter Hobson

Born: Somerset East, 26 March 1881

Deceased: At the house of CC Wayland, Lovedale Farm near Belmont in the Herbert District, 2 September 1937. He had lost an arm through blood poisoning; later he tripped over a dog in the passage at night, suffered a head injury and died.

Club: Hamiltons

Province: Western Province

International career: 1903: 1 test

William Carey Hobson, grandfather of Tom Hobson, was from Cottesbrooke in Northamptonshire and was an 1820 Settler. He was an early breeder of merino sheep. He married Susannah Bonnin, the daughter of Samuel and Ann Bonnin, also 1820 settlers who came out on the Aurora.

Samuel Hobson, father of Tom Hobson, first married a Miss Edwards, by whom he had nine children. She died, and he then married a Miss Carter who was born in India and whom he met on board ship on his way to a horseshow in Dublin. She then came out to South Africa and married him. They had five children. Samuel died young, having been flung from the back of a horse. Tom Hobson’s mother then worked as a postmistress to bring up the large family.

Tom Hobson was awarded the Croix de Guerre in World War I. He was 12th man for South Africa at cricket, founded a cricket club in Douglas, for which he played, still hitting sixes with only one arm.