Garry Purdham

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

Garry Purdham

Personal information
Full name	Garry John Purdham
Born	20 October 1978 Whitehaven, Cumbria, England
Died	2 June 2010(2010-06-02) (aged 31) Gosforth, Cumbria, England
Playing information
Position	Second-row
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1999–05 Whitehaven 127 17 0 0 68 2005–08 Workington Town 58 5 0 1 21 Total 185 22 0 1 89
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.^[10]

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.^[11]

The Workington club has announced that a memorial in honour of Purdham will be established.^[12] His funeral and cremation were held on 10 June 2010, attended by over 600 mourners.^[13]

Family

Purdham is survived by a wife and two children. He was the brother of Rob Purdham, a former player with Harlequins RL^[14] who played for England five times.^[15]