From Newport v Llanelli match programme Saturday, 28th February 1976:
TRIBUTE TO ERIC GREENFIELD
To-day marks the end of an era as far as the South Wales Argus and Newport Athletic Club are concerned, for it sees the retirement of Chief Photographer Eric Greenfield.
Born at Newport on the 24th February, 1911, he was educated at Eveswell School. As a member of the school XV he made his first visit to Rodney Parade on a complimentary ticket, to see Jack Wetters Invincible team play. He can also remember seeing the 1924 All Blacks play on the ground, and still considers them the finest touring team he has ever seen.
On leaving school in 1925, he joined the staff of J. E. Thomas, Chepstow, as a photographer. His employer did a great deal of work for the Argus, as well as taking the team photographs at Rodney Parade at the end of each season. Eric commenced taking the team photographs in 1935, and continued without a break until the end of last season.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the R.A.F. as a photographer, and saw service in eleven countries, including South Africa and the Middle East. On demob, he returned to Newport and joined the staff of the South Wales Argus as Chief Photographer on the 1st January, 1946. During the next thirty years he gained an excellent reputation for the quality of his work. His attention to detail, whether capturing the action at a major sporting occasion, following a Royal Tour or reporting a disaster, gained him the respect of everyone he worked with. Rodney Parade contains many of his works and all sections are greatly indebted to the great amount of time he has spent taking photographs for them over the years, none more so than the Rugby Section, and when I asked him a number of questions relating to rugby, he quickly replied that it was difficult to compare different playing eras due to many factors. But when pressed, he named Brian Prices team of 1968 - 69 as the finest Newport team he had seen, while he remembers the following outstanding players with affection : Ernie Hammett, Jack Morley, Raymond Ralph, Bunner Travers, Ken Jones, Roy Burnett, Bryn Meredith, Brian Price and David Watkins. He considers the 1973 Ba-Baas v. New Zealand game as the greatest he has ever seen, closely followed by the 1960 Ba-Baas v. South Africa for tension. Another game he recalled with enthusiasm was the Newport v. South Africa of the same year.
His memories are many, and he considers it a privilege to have worked with such Argus stalwarts as Dromio Collins, J. O. Davis and Willis Huntley, while the co-operation he received at N.A.C. from Vince Griffiths, Bill Everson, Nick Carter, Fred Cox, Bill Davies, Alf Panting and many others, will always be remembered. To mark this occasion, Mr. Ian McJennett, Chairman of the Rugby Section, will make a suitable presentation to Eric in the Everson Room this evening.
Thanks for the wonderful memories, Eric ; may your retirement be a long and happy one. (It has been rumoured that Eric is looking for a ticket for the Wales v. France game, now that he has handed in his Press Badge.)