Undercliffe’s Bantam Legacy

Two of the most remarkable chairmen in Bradford City’s history have their final resting places in the magnificent Undercliffe Cemetery. Barely the length of a football pitch separates the graves of City’s first chairman Alfred Ayrton and the man who did much to keep the club alive in two spells as chairman Stafford Heginbotham.

Alfred Ayrton stabilised Manningham Rugby Club in the early 1900s when they faced extinction, he then oversaw the switch to football and during the meeting that ratified the change he was asked what the new club would be called he replied: ‘Bradford City’. He evaluated, and then put to a vote, the proposed merger with the infant Bradford Park Avenue in 1907. His final act prior to retiring was to make the club a limited company and he left the chairmanship with the club poised for promotion to the top flight.

Stafford Heginbotham’s first spell as chairman saw him rolling up his sleeves to physically improve Valley Parade. He convened the famous crisis meeting at St George’s Hall that ultimately saved the club from closure. Like Ayrton he also considered a merger with Park Avenue but rejected it on the grounds that Bradford City was the first name on the FA Cup and that heritage should be preserved.  He returned to the club in 1983 when he and Jack Tordoff saved the club from closure with hours to spare. He later guided the club through the difficult days in the wake of the fire disaster. Stafford’s dignity, and full acceptance of blame, did much to ensure that the grieving process could go ahead without any background controversy.

Underclife Cemetery will be part of the Bantams’ History Week in April when a guided tour will be available. The cemetery is run by volunteers.

Eddie Parris: A Welsh Pioneer

Once again we are delighted to be part of Black History Month in Bradford. Due to the relocation of the museum we are unable to stage a similar event to last year when Joe Cooke and speakers from De Montfort University were our guests. We are restricted to making an online contribution. The first of our articles begins with the forgotten story of Bradford Park Avenue’s Welsh international Eddie Parris. We thank Ian Hemmens for researching and writing the article.

These days, the sight of a coloured or even mixed race footballer is nothing unusual for fans at just about every level. Despite the recent incidents and regarding certain players over racial accusations, these problems are thankfully few and far between. That is not to say we should ever lower our guard and let the foul and disgusting bigotry gain the upper hand. Players of all colours and creeds add a wonderful diversity to our game which we should promote to the highest extreme. I think the last frontier to be crossed is the arrival in our game of a couple of home-grown lads of Asian descent to make our game fully proud of its diverse future.

Bradford as a city can be proud of its acceptance of a multitude of cultures from all over the globe. The city’s sports teams are no exception to this with Bradford City signing mixed race Scotsman Willie Clarke in 1906. 1911 also saw City sign Lithuanian born wingman Louis Bookman who had become a naturalised Irishman.

Across the city in Horton, the Bantams cross-city rivals Park Avenue took a chance on a young trialist in John Edward Parris, an 17 year old winger playing for Chepstow Town. Born near Chepstow in January 1911 to a white mother and a black father.

Eddie made his debut for Park Avenue in an F.A. Cup game against Hull City in January 1929 when he scored the teams only goal in a 1-1 draw. He went on to make 8 appearances that season scoring 4 goals. The following season 1929-30 he followed up with 16 appearances scoring 5 times. 1930-31 he appeared 13 times scoring 3 goals.

1931-32 finally saw him becoming a first choice pick in the Avenue side who were regular top half finishers and prolific goalscorers in Division 2. He appeared 36 times and finished as the club’s top scorer with 13 goals. No mean feat for a winger and he had a formidable partner on the other wing in future England International Albert Geldard, at one time the youngest ever Football League debutant.

1932-33 saw Eddie go even better with 15 goals in 39 appearances as Avenue finished in 8th place. 1933-34 saw Eddie maintain his place making 21 appearances and scoring 3 times before being hit with a serious injury. His place was taken by Tommy Lewis and he never appeared for the Bradford Park Avenue 1st team again.
His Avenue highpoint was to be the 1931-32 season which saw him receive an international cap for Wales against Northern Ireland in Belfast. A huge honour and credit to the Welsh selectors for their enlightenment in selecting Eddie when one considers the English FA’s treatment of the Plymouth Argyle Centre Forward Jack Leslie (below).

After several seasons as a prolific goalscorer with Plymouth Argyle, he received a call-up for the England national team. His manager Bob Jack told him of the honour and the town was thrilled for their hero. Somebody in the corridors of power must have then mentioned that Leslie was ‘a man of colour’ and his invitation was swiftly withdrawn. A scandalous act which obviously wouldn’t be allowed these days, but sadly indicative of the less enlightened times. It would be 1978 before Viv Anderson became England’s first black International. Here is Eddie with the Park Avenue team:

After he recovered, Eddie struggled to regain his place due to Tommy Lewis’ consistency and in the summer of 1934 he headed south to Bournemouth to continue his career. He remained at Dean Court for 3 years till 1937 saw him move on again to Luton for a 6 month stay before heading for Northampton.

At the outbreak of WW2 and now into his 30s, Eddie played for Northampton, Bath City and Cheltenham Town before ending his career. He worked in the munitions industry and after the war continued to work in the aeroplane industry.

He settled in the Gloucestershire town of Sedbury where he died in 1971, aged 60.

Ian Hemmens

Bobby Campbell - the Book

 

Tickets for the launch of Paul Firth’s eagerly awaiting book, Bobby Campbell, They Don’t Make Them Like Him Anymore, are selling fast and we urge supporters to book soon to avoid disappointment as the event is highly likely to be a sell out. The launch of the book is scheduled for Wednesday 10 October at 7.30pm in the McCall Suite at Valley Parade. Admission, either £2 for the event only, or £12 which includes admission and a signed book, can be gained by visiting the Friends of Bradford City website. People who have already subscribed to the book gain free entry by giving their name on the door.

Bobby Campbell will be in attendance along with at least nine of his former team mates. It promises to be an unforgettable night. City’s all time record goal scorer is a renowned story teller and we understand that many of his former team mates are eager to add to the legion of Big Bob tales.

Latest: Please note that admission is now by ticket only, due to high demand. 

Museum Update

Over the summer of 2012 many of our wall mounted displays were re-erected in Bantams Bar and this location will become a kind of ‘museum in exile’ as we assess our long term future. Unfortunately, there is not free access to Bantams Bar. The club receives valuable income from its users on match days and we had to be sensitive to protecting that income while considering public access. We will continue to work closely with the club in considering what offers can be made to supporters who previously enjoyed the museum and cafe area in large numbers over recent seasons. Quite clearly there is a market for such a facility and we will attempt to draw up a business case to present to the club. In all likelihood this is a process that will only be fully worked up and available for consideration for the 2013/14 season. For the current season the club, in conjunction with Friends of Bradford City, will be running at least six free ground tours (which will be advertised via the match day programme and the official website) and included in the itinerary will be the boardroom, 1911 Club and Bantams Bar.

Many of our ‘crown jewel’ objects (the 1911 matchball, exhibits related to the fire, the shield that marked promotion to the Premier League, etc.) are in a display cabinet in the boardroom. It is hoped that in time these will return to a re-established museum. In the short-term the boardroom seems an appropriate location and perhaps the exhibits will be joined by another piece of silverware in the not too distant future.

Bobby Campbell Book Pre-ordering

You can now download an order form for the forthcoming new Bobby Campbell book by Paul Firth. It is available from our Resources page.

Harold Adrian Walden

English Football Olympic Gold Medallist Harold A Walden aka ‘Harry’ was born 10 October 1887 in Umballa, India, the youngest son of Joseph and Annie Walden.  Joseph was serving with the 2nd  Cheshire Regiment.  They returned to live in Manchester in 1889.

In April 1902, aged just 14 ½ years he enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment as a ‘Drummer Boy’.  Whilst serving with the Cheshire’s he played in the Army vs Navy Football Tournaments.  Records of the actual teams haven’t been kept.  Stationed in Northern Ireland he played for Cliftonville FC and in 1911 played for Linfield FC in 6 games scoring 5 goals. 

In October 1911, Harold now a Lance Sergeant decided to leave the Army and paid £25.00 to be released.  On his discharge he joined the newly formed Halifax Town Amateur Football Club.  Under FA rules of the day he was not allowed to turn professional for twelve months after leaving the Army.  His time at this club was very short as he made his debut for Bradford City FC on the 18th December 1911 against Notts County coming in for the injured O’Rourke.  He scored 3 of the 4 goals in the replay FA Cup round matches against QPR on the 18th Jan 1912.

He became City’s highest goal scorer for the 1911 -1912 season.  Playing in 17 matches and scoring 11 goals. The 19th October 1912 saw him Captain the bantams against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Almost certainly, the highlight of his playing career must have been being selected to play for Great Britain at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden wearing the Number 9 shirt.  This tournament proved to be the pinnacle of his playing days.

Great Britain received a ‘bye’ in the first round, they then played Hungary winning 7-0, Harold scoring 6 of the 7 goals.  In the semi-finals they faced Finland.  Harold scored all 4 goals to beat Finland 4-0. The final saw them up against Denmark, playing in front of a crowd of 25, 000, including the King of Sweden, Gustav V.  Harold opened the scoring with a goal in the 10th minute.  Great Britain went on to win 4-2 ensuring them the Gold Medal.  Harold, ever the ‘livewire’,  is reported to have said “Thanks King” on receiving his medal. He still retains the record of ‘Highest British Goal Scorer’ and is the fourth highest on the list of ‘All Time Olympic Goal Scorers’, achieving 11 goals in the tournament.

 He continued to play for City although in 1913 he suffered with cartilage problems and finally had surgery in 1914 which delayed his enlistment during the First World War.  Harold re-enlisted in April 1915 in The Prince’s Own West Yorkshire Regiment (Bradford Pals) with the rank of Lieutenant. At Étaples, France in 1917, he again damaged his knee jumping into a trench. He was sent home and spent the rest of the war as acting Adjutant stationed in Hull.  

Following the war years in 1919, he continued to play for City appearing in 12 matches, scoring four goals.  One of these matches was an away game at Arsenal on the 25th October where he scored two goals for the Bantams to win 2-0.  Arsenal was impressed and signed him for the rest of the1919/20 season!  He appeared in two League matches scoring 1 goal and four friendlies scoring 3 goals before returning to Bradford City where he was presented with a cheque (amount unknown).  Having made 57 appearances and scoring 25 goals for the Bantams, he retired from football.

In 1919 Harold made an appearance at a charity Lifeboat appeal at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford playing the piano and singing.  This was to be the start of his new career!  Mr Laidler the theatre owner was so impressed that he signed him for a week’s performances on the variety bill.  Harold was a born humorist and life and soul of the party and was known for his antics on and off the field and stage.
Within two years he was topping the bills.  He toured extensively including Australia, China and India.  It was during a visit to Australia that he was pushed on stage to fill in for an ill comedian. His appearance was a roaring success so began his life of comedian.  He boasted that he was the only Music Hall Artiste to have appeared in the Olympics and won a Gold Medal!

His Bradford City days and Number 9 shirt became part of the act. The Gold Medal would be displayed outside theatres where he was performing.  He penned several pieces of music for the ukulele and wrote songs such as ‘Only Me Knows Why’. This became his signature tune and he also wrote ‘Ronnie the Robin’ and ‘Mother I’m a Soldier’ all of which were recorded on 78rpm vinyl.

 A minor film career was another string to his bow.  He played the lead role of ‘Jack Metherill’ in the 1920 film ‘The Winning Goal’ which was an adaptation of Harold Brighouse’s play ‘The Game’.  He also played himself on stage in his football shirt in the 1948 film ‘Cup Tie Wedding’. He became part of the famous Ernest Binns Arcadian Follies in the 1940’s. The 1930’s and 40’s also saw him having his own radio spots.

Sometime in the early 1950’s his Gold Medal was sold. 

Harold died of a heart attack at Leeds Railway Station on 3rd December 1955 after returning from a charity performance in Harrogate to raise money for the Yorkshire Evening News Christmas appeal.  He is buried in Killingbeck Cemetery in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
The following is from his ‘Memories of A Comedian’ written for the Yorkshire Evening News published on the 30th January 1947.
“Folk often ask me which part of my life I enjoyed best.  Playing centre forward for Bradford City or being a comedian?  And to be honest I tell ‘em this: With football it’s 45 minutes each way.  Rain, snow or hail.  And at the end the crowd gives you the razzberry if they feel that way about things.  With Variety it’s only ten minutes each half.  With a two hour interval. And a benefit at the end of every week!”

France 2012 - Day Three

Saturday 2 June
In blazing sunshine our first call was at the enormous Lochnagar Crater. The Lochnagar mine was an explosive-packed mine created by the Royal Engineer tunnelling companies which was detonated at 7:28 am on 1 July 1916. The Lochnagar mine was the largest ever detonated and reputedly was heard in London. The explosion was witnessed from the air by 2nd Lieutenant C.A. Lewis of No. 3 Squadron RFC:

The whole earth heaved and flashed, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up in the sky. There was an ear-splitting roar drowning all the guns, flinging the machine sideways in the repercussing air. The earth column rose higher and higher to almost 4,000 feet. There it hung, or seemed to hang, for a moment in the air, like the silhouette of some great cypress tree, then fell away in a widening cone of dust and debris.

The description is of a man-made volcano and that is exactly what the aftermath looks like. The crater is absolutely enormous, a deep bowl scooped out of the chalky soil as if by some giant hand. From Lochnagar we visited the final resting place of a Bradford sportsman who had evaded our attention on the previous year’s trip – Bradford Northern’s Harry Ruck. He is buried in the large Caterpillar Valley Cemetery at Longueval. The cemetery is within sight of the infamous trio of Delville Wood, High Wood and Mametz Wood. Harry played for Bradford Northern at their former Birch Lane ground at West Bowling – two decades before Odsal Stadium was developed. He was the only Rugby League player from Bradford killed in the Great War. We laid a cross on his grave and will be passing photographs of his final resting place to our friends at the Bradford Bulls. Caterpillar Valley Cemetery also had the New Zealand memorial to the missing on one wall and there was an empty grave from where the body of an unknown New Zealand soldier was exhumed and taken the Wellington where he now lies at the centre of the country’s memorial to the Great War. The now empty grave informs visitors, in both English and Maori, how the solider was randomly selected to become New Zealand’s unknown warrior.

The multi-national nature of the British Empire troops who fought on the Somme was a theme that continued when we moved onto the South African National Memorial Museum at Delville Wood. The impressive museum is situated along a grass walkway among the re-grown trees of Delville Wood – or Devil’s Wood as it was nicknamed by the soldiers. Among the trees the ground is still pock marked with shell holes and behind the museum is the only tree to have survived the battering the wood received. The South African Memorial Museum is a stunning piece of architecture and is one of the best memorials on the entire Western Front. It is based on a Cape fort, from the outside there are thick stone walls, but once inside the visitor is faced with a circular structure with full length glass panels that overlook an inner court yard. The story of the South African’s in the Great War, and beyond, is related in a series of display that guide the visitor in a clockwise direction. The museum is sited in Delville Wood in order to preserve the memory of the three South African battalions that captured the wood, but were almost wiped out in the process. To read such a story of bravery and sacrifice and then to walk into the woods today, where only the birdsong disturbs the tranquillity, is a moving experience.

We were making such good progress that we decided to make some additional unplanned stops. First was at the Footballers’ Battalion Memorial which was unveiled by the Football League in 2010. The Battalion were part of the Middlesex Regiment and it contained many professional footballers including Bradford City’s Frank Buckley. They, alongside the South Africans, took and held Delville Wood, albeit with fearful casualties. Beneath the memorial were wreaths from numerous Football League clubs. Had we known about the location of the memorial we would have added one from Bradford City – perhaps another day? We moved onto Mametz Wood and viewed the vivid red dragon memorial to the 38th (Welsh) Division who suffered 5,000 casualties in taking the wood.

We returned to our planned itinerary and the huge obelisk memorial at Pozières to the 1st Australian Division. They were the original 'ANZACS' - members of the Australian Imperial Force that fought at Gallipoli in 1915. They took part in the capture of Pozières, which was secured in heavy fighting on 25th July 1916, and in the subsequent fighting around the village and towards Mouquet Farm. In doing so they lost 5,285 men. While many of our party went for lunch at Le Tommy Cafe in the village a small number walked alongside the main road to the huge Pozières British Cemetery that contains the graves of 2,756 soldiers and the memorial to the missing that surrounds the graves and has over 14,000 names inscribed on its walls. There are many Australians buried so far from home at Pozières. I walked around the cemetery and tried to read as many of the names as possible. It’s a strange feeling, but a compelling one; you feel the need to remember as many as possible of them. Perhaps by reading their names you bring them back to life for a few seconds? We rejoined the rest of the party in Le Tommy and found a group of Australian visitors already taking refreshment. We were later joined by a small group from Northern Ireland. The Somme should be, and in some ways is, a shrine that links the English speaking peoples.

We completed our visit to the Somme sector by viewing the tank memorial which commemorates the site where tanks were first used as a weapon of war on 15 September 1916. Directly opposite was another Australian Memorial on the site of Pozières Windmill – a strategic site which was captured by the Australians. Apparently nowhere else on the Somme did the Australians fall as thickly as at the Windmill. So it is appropriate that soil from the site was scattered on the coffin of the grave of the unknown Australian soldier buried at the national memorial in the capital of Canberra. We drove the Butte de Walencourt, the limit of the advance of 1916 and looked back at the Somme battlefield. It had been a sobering and thought provoking visit, but we were following in the footsteps of the Bradford Pals and so we followed them from the Somme and to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.

At the nearby Vieille-Chapelle Cemetery we gathered around the graves of the two Bradford Pals shot for desertion: Herbert Crimmins and Arthur Wild. There was an air of sadness and forgiveness. We cannot imagine the horrors that they had been through and it does appear that their desertion was not premeditated but was simply the result of having one too many drinks. I wrote in the cemetery visitor book that they were forgiven in Bradford and I hope that many share my sentiments.

We than had another unexpected visit when we stopped at the fabulous Indian Memorial. A circular memorial that contains that names 4,743 Indian soldiers and labourers who died during the conflict and have no known grave. The high walls give a great sense of peace when you are inside memorial, but outside the walls are pockmarked with bullet holes from the Second World War. A couple of minutes’ walk up the road is the Portuguese Cemetery and Memorial. There are around 2,000 Portuguese soldiers buried in the cemetery. While the graves are maintained it wasn’t to the very high standard of the British Cemeteries and it gave us cause to be thankful for the continued work of Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The final stop on our tour was one that was unrelated to the Great War, but when I saw it I realised we simply had to stop and pay our respects. The two Bradford Pals shot for desertion were executed in the village of Lestrem. In the Second World War this was the location of a notorious massacre. In 1940 the Royal Norfolk Regiment were stubbornly holding back the German advance on the evacuation beaches of Dunkirk. They fought until they ran out of ammunition and eventually surrendered. Unfortunately their captors were an SS regiment. The men were taken to a barn and 97 unarmed men were murdered by the SS with machine guns. Astonishingly two men survived and were hidden by the villagers. After the war the testimony of the survivors ensured that the SS officer who ordered the massacre was hung for his crime. We visited the graves of the brave Norfolk’s, while there an elderly villager told us that he had met many of the British soldiers in days leading up to the massacre and he told us exactly where they had been shot. Thus our final pilgrimage was at a roadside overlooking the barn wall where the men had been lined up and executed. It was a sobering end to a sobering trip.

We returned to Lille and the following day we boarded the Eurostar and bade a fond farewell to northern France. In London we enjoyed a refreshment stop at the Betjeman Bar on St Pancras station before heading north on the Grand Central service direct to Bradford Interchange. The final act came when a small group of us had a farewell pint in the City Vaults. There we toasted Herbert Crimmins and Albert Wild.