More on SRFC's 1899 British Lion

According to the list Alan Ayre Smith is in the middle of the second row up with the plain low necked top

Alan Ayre Smith's Sunderland connections are very strong although he also played for Guy's Hospital, Richmond and Surrey. He was born in Sunderland in 1876 and In 1881 his family was living at 5, Park Terrace which stood between the Victoria Hall and the Masonic Hall and is now considered part of Toward Road. He was a very young London based medic when he went on what is now considered 'the first officially recognised' Lions tour of Australia and unselfishly gave up further rugby opportunities to help out in the Boer War. For his efforts he was awarded the highly prestigious Queen's Medal. He returned to England in his mid 20s, finished his training then took on his first appointment at Sunderland's Royal Infirmary. For three seasons from 1902 to 1905 he was the lynchpin of the highly successful Sunderland and Durham County sides. During this period Sunderland won the county cup in 1903 and lost the final narrowly the following year under Ayre Smith's captaincy. Between 1902 and 1905 Durham County reached all four finals, winning three of them. According to To Ashbrooke and Beyond 'his final game of rugby was played in France during the First World War'. Remarkably ( yet like fellow Sunderland Lion Dr Howard Marshall) Alan Ayre Smith was to leave a contribution to medical history. This fascinating article linked below and referencing the field of radiology does not make a single reference to his prowess on the rugby pitch!

Alan Ayre-Smith: The Unsung Pioneer of Radiology and His Enchanting Legacy

As noted elsewhere he was heavily involved in the 1899 Lions tour of Australia - certainly appearing in three of the four tests ( if not the first one - the only one lost!) and in nearly all of the other matches. On his return to Sunderland he lived close to the Ashbrooke Ground in Grange Crescent but later moved to Cotherstone near Barnard Castle - a place with which his family had long standing connections. His death, in 1957, was registered in the nearby Richmond area of Yorkshire.