All at Swansea RFC were saddened to hear of the sudden passing of long time Swansea RFC Stalwart Martin Bottomley.
Martin was a regular at St Helen’s over many years. He hailed from Yorkshire and had played against the touring Swansea Athletic in the late ‘sixties.
Moving down to Swansea in the early 1970s to take up employment in Mike James’ Scimitar company, Martin threw himself enthusiastically into local sport. He turned out when needed for the Swansea Athletic at St Helen’s and also helped out with the running of the Swansea Youth rugby setup. He later became heavily involved with the Mumbles RFC, becoming their Chairman.
Martin maintained his strong emotional connections to St Helen’s and was a regular at matches and All Whites Former Players’ Association (AWFPA) events. He was also a member of the Pennard Golf Club and loved his cricket, turning out for local clubs.
Martin had spent time in the Royal Navy as a submariner and his stories of exploits both famous and infamous were legendary at AWFPA dinners where he was always present with a song and a smile, wonderful company.
Martin will be missed by everyone he met in Swansea and we particularly miss him at St Helen’s. Our thoughts go out to Martin’s family at this sad time. His family has informed that Martin’s funeral will be at Llanelli Crematorium at 2pm on the 8th April for all who wish to attend and all are welcome to follow on to the South Gate Club in Pennard.