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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 628

Pair: Gunner K. E. 'Kenny' Dowding, 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, who carved out a professional rugby career alongside his active service and represented the Army and Combined Services as a loose-head prop forward

Iraq 2003-11, 1 clasp, 19 Mar to 28 Apr 2003 (25141657 Gnr K E Dowding RA); Operational Service Medal 2000, 1 clasp, Afghanistan (25141657 Gnr K E Dowding RA), nearly extremely fine (2)

Ken E. Dowding - or 'Kenny' to his comrades and teammates - was born on 17 December 1984 in Manchester. Educated at Alderbrook School, he played rugby as a schoolboy before representing Birmingham and Solihull RFC. He enlisted in the Army aged 16 and was later told that he had the potential to represent the armed forces. Dowding gained his first cap for the Artillery whilst in Phase 2 training at Larkhill before joining 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, serving in 1 Para Battery (Bull's Troop) in Iraq. Seeing further active service in Afghanistan during 2008, Dowding would serve alongside gunners from the Australian Artillery, the first time that unit had been deployed in their primary role since the Vietnam War.

On the sport field, things continued to go well for Dowding. He is one of a handful of players capped for the Combined Services (vs The Barbarians) before his debut for the Army in the Army vs Navy, Twickenham Stadium, 2010. He played in further editions, including their 48-9 victory in 2012, which drew a record crowd of 65,302. In the summer of 2011 Dowding was signed for the Ospreys and gave an interview for Wales Online:

'It's a big opportunity for me.

Last season I was able to see how Bridgend and the Ospreys work, I spent time training here and got a chance to work with the boys, but obviously, this year is big opportunity and challenge for me. I've got to work hard in training, perform well in the games I get and really try to make a good impression.

There are a couple of other players combining an army career with playing top level rugby, so it is achievable. The army is very flexible when it comes to things like this, and will see it as a good way of recruiting new soldiers as they realise that 16, 17 or 18 year-olds who play rugby can look at it and see that there is a career opportunity for them. People may think of it as an option they may not have looked at. There's also the benefits that the army rugby team gets when players go back there having gained experience with professional sides, it helps to raise the standard of the team there, and to bring along players in forces rugby. Believe me, that's as competitive as it gets.

The army has given me some fantastic experiences, not least travelling the world to play rugby, but there's no getting away from it, I have experienced plenty of things in places like the Iraq war and in Afghanistan that aren't so fantastic.

But I'm really fortunate to have been able to experience everything that I have done, and now I have a great opportunity to play rugby, training with the Ospreys and who knows where it will lead. The way it works with the Army is that I can only sign for twelve months at a time for a rugby team as they review things annually.

I'm still a serving member of the army and could be called up if the Regiment is, and I will be serving my full 25 year term. During the off-season I'll spend some time back at the barracks, but the reality is I'm a full-time rugby player for the next year.'

Dowding later played for Bath (2012-13) and London Irish (2015-16); sold together with photographs, 2012 Match Programme, '7Para RHA RFU' badge cut from a shirt, magazine cuttings and research.

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Sold for
£600

Starting price
£210