Garry Purdham

Garry John Purdham (20 October 1978 – 2 June 2010) was an English professional rugby league footballer[2] and farmer. He was killed in the 2010 Cumbria shootings.

Garry Purdham
Personal information
Full nameGarry John Purdham
Born20 October 1978
Whitehaven, Cumbria, England
Died2 June 2010 (aged 31)
Gosforth, Cumbria, England
Playing information
PositionSecond-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1999–04 Whitehaven
2005–08 Workington Town
Total 0 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Career

Purdham began his professional rugby league career in 1999 with Whitehaven.[3] There he played alongside his brother Rob Purdham.

In 2005 Purdham transferred to the nearby club Workington Town.[4] He struggled with a recurring knee injury at Workington[5] and ultimately required four operations in six years.[6]

Purdham retired from professional rugby league after the 2008 season;[3] however, he returned in 2009 to play amateur rugby league for Egremont Rangers.[7]

Death
Main article: Cumbria shootings

On 2 June 2010, Purdham was working with his uncle mending a wire fence on his father's farm near the Red Admiral Hotel at Boonwood, near Gosforth when he was shot and killed.[8][9] He became the ninth murder victim of spree killer Derrick Bird, who killed 12 people and injured 11 others that day before committing suicide.

In honour of Purdham and the other Cumbria victims, one minute's silence was observed before every rugby league match played in England on the weekend of 5–6 June 2010.[10]

The Workington club has announced that a memorial in honour of Purdham will be established.[11] His funeral and cremation were held on 10 June 2010, attended by over 600 mourners.[12]

Family

Garry Purdham had a wife and two young children. He was the brother of Rob, a former player with Harlequins RL[13] who played for England five times.[14]

Obituaries

References
  1. Rugby League Project
  2. "Rugby star Philip speaks of gun horror". Edinburgh Evening News. UK: Johnston Press Digital Publishing. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  3. "Tributes are paid to ex-Workington player Garry Purdham". news.bbc.co.uk. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  4. Ledger, John (25 June 2005). "Featherstone fear Dragons' backlash". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  5. Morgan, Martin (5 June 2008). "Purdham on course for comeback". timesandstar.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  6. Morgan, Martin (6 November 2008). "Workington's Garry Purdham to play on for one more season". newsandstar.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  7. "Egremont give new coach Roper perfect start against Crosfields". whitehaven-news.co.uk. 14 September 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  8. "Cumbria shootings: The victims named". The Whitehaven News. CN Group. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  9. Bingham, John; Gardham, Duncan; Evans, Martin (3 June 2010). "Bitter family row over will was trigger that sparked killing rage". independent.ie. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  10. "Game-wide minute's silence". therfl.co.uk. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  11. "Workington plan memorial for Garry Purdham". guardian.co.uk. London. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  12. "Funeral for Cumbria shooting victim Garry Purdham". bbc.co.uk. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
  13. "Rob Purdham on compassionate leave". superleague.co.uk. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  14. Taylor, Matthew (2 June 2010). "Derrick Bird's brother was the first victim before random spree in Cumbria". The Times. London. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
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