Joseph Caulfield James

File:JosephCaulfieldJames.jpg

Joseph Caulfield James

Joseph Caulfield James (6 July 1860 – 6 July 1925) was an English teacher from Birkenhead, England. He was the principal tutor to Prince Vajiravudh of Siam, who later became king of Siam.

Royal Tutor

Caulfield James, an Englishman of Irish descent, arrived in Bangkok in 1887 for a position teaching English at Assumption College. After a short period there, he was engaged inside the Grand Palace as the full-time English tutor to three princes; Prince Vajiravudh, Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath and Prince Nandiyavat Svasti.

Caulfield James accompanied Prince Nandiyavat Svasti to Europe. For some years, James continued to be one of the tutors in the Grand Palace, and in 1898, he was appointed headmaster of the Rajakumari College inside the Grand Palace.

Royal Bangkok Sports Club

After leaving his royal duties, a sporting man by choice; Caulfield James became Honorary Secretary of the Bangkok Gymkhana Club. In 1901, the Bangkok Gymkhana Club developed into the present-day Royal Bangkok Sports Club. With the help of Caulfield James, the Royal Bangkok Sports Club emerged from being a purely horse-racing club to the broader sporting club that it is to this day. He eventually became Chairman and then Honorary Vice President of the club in 1912 to 1915.

The Royal Bangkok Sports Club, or as commonly known by its abbreviated initials -RBSC, is renowned as one of Thailand's most exclusive sports facility complexes. Along with its sister club, The Royal Bangkok Polo Club, the two clubs provide premium service with memberships increasingly sought after in the past decade. His excellency Pong Sarasin served as its first Thai Chairman (1978-1990), implementing a number of infrastructural and organisational changes.