wife in the civil courts and possibly even remarries, but refuses to give his wife a get, either because of malice or greed. All too often the husband tries to extort money from his wife in exchange for the get.

2. A man disappears without leaving a trace, so that he is not available to issue the divorce that halakhah demands. During the early decades of the 20th century , when mass Jewish immigration to the United States from Eastern Europe reached its height, Yiddish newspapers published a regular feature, “The Gallery of Missing Husbands,” asking readers to help locate the errant spouses. Together with photographs, there would appear pathetic pleas for help from the deserted wives.

3. The man is lost in military action or dies in a massTracking down the heroes of 1972

The team that won the 1972 Rugby League World Cup are a special group of people - I know this now, though a few weeks ago most of them were just names on a page. Tracking down the side was one of the most enjoyable tasks I have undertaken in a long while.

These 14 heroes (more of that later) of Great Britain remain the last group of men from these shores to win the tournament. But 36 years have elapsed since their victory in Lyon, a final played in front of less than 4,500 people. I knew next to nothing about most of the players, while the information available on the internet was sketchy. Where to start?

Well, the most high-profile member of that