Knighted in 1955, George Beamish was among the leading players of his era, earning 25 caps for Ireland and playing in five Tests with the Lions your to Australasia in 1930.

His brothers Charles, Cecil and Victor all played for Tigers too, as George made 118 appearances after moving to the Midlands due to his career in the Royal Air Force.

He won his first Ireland cap as a teenager and in the five years from 1928 he missed just one international. His 25 caps stood as a record for an Irish No8 for nearly half a century.

Captain of the Leicestershire/East Midlands team that beat South Africa at Welford Road in 1931, he played rugby for the RAF and was also their golf and heavyweight boxing champion.

A Battle of Britain veteran, he became the first RAF officer to reach the rank of Air Commodore, was awarded the CBE and retired as an Air Marshall.