There's often something unexpected when researching old footballers, but I had never come across the Fremantle Lumpers' Union before now. But they helped to solve a mystery that has been challenging me recently: what happened to Charles Winton Heggie?
Heggie was a Rangers forward in the 1880s, not one of the greats but he had a fine eye for goal and was duly selected to play for Scotland against Ireland in March 1886. He was the outstanding player in a 7-2 victory, scoring no less than four of Scotland's goals - yet he was never capped again. He wound down his career at St Bernard's in Edinburgh, and was also an occasional referee, but there was no indication as to what happened to him after that. With an unusual name, it was little difficulty to confirm his date of birth (26 September 1862), a marriage in 1886 to Mary McIntosh, and a son William born in 1889. The family were in the 1891 census in Glasgow, with the father recorded as a spirit shopman. I subsequently tracked Mary Heggie and young William to Detroit in the USA, and it seemed they emigrated around 1892. But where was Charlie? There were no death or census records here or in the USA, and he seemed to have simply vanished.
The breakthrough came in an entirely unexpected location, and it was thanks to a memorial advert placed by the good old Fremantle Lumpers' Union in the Western Australian newspaper: 'The members of the above Union are respectfully invited to follow the remains of their late comrade, Mr Charles Winton Heggie, of Wharf Street, Queen's Park, and formerly of Cottesloe, to the place of interment, the Presbyterian Cemetery, Karrakatta.' He had died in Perth, Australia, on 15 July 1925, and I soon found further death notices inserted by his wife - but not his first wife. It all became clear, Heggie had deserted Mary or perhaps the other way round, and both had emigrated in opposite directions to the other side of the world. Once in Australia, he remarried a woman called Emily Perkin in 1906, and started a second family.
All the remained was to find out what a Lumper is, or was. It's not hard to guess, they lump things around at the docks in Fremantle, the seaport next to Perth, and it seems they were quite a big thing in that part of the world. I've yet to find out what Heggie's exact role was with them, but the mystery of what happened to another Scotland international has finally been put to rest.
Heggie was a Rangers forward in the 1880s, not one of the greats but he had a fine eye for goal and was duly selected to play for Scotland against Ireland in March 1886. He was the outstanding player in a 7-2 victory, scoring no less than four of Scotland's goals - yet he was never capped again. He wound down his career at St Bernard's in Edinburgh, and was also an occasional referee, but there was no indication as to what happened to him after that. With an unusual name, it was little difficulty to confirm his date of birth (26 September 1862), a marriage in 1886 to Mary McIntosh, and a son William born in 1889. The family were in the 1891 census in Glasgow, with the father recorded as a spirit shopman. I subsequently tracked Mary Heggie and young William to Detroit in the USA, and it seemed they emigrated around 1892. But where was Charlie? There were no death or census records here or in the USA, and he seemed to have simply vanished.
The breakthrough came in an entirely unexpected location, and it was thanks to a memorial advert placed by the good old Fremantle Lumpers' Union in the Western Australian newspaper: 'The members of the above Union are respectfully invited to follow the remains of their late comrade, Mr Charles Winton Heggie, of Wharf Street, Queen's Park, and formerly of Cottesloe, to the place of interment, the Presbyterian Cemetery, Karrakatta.' He had died in Perth, Australia, on 15 July 1925, and I soon found further death notices inserted by his wife - but not his first wife. It all became clear, Heggie had deserted Mary or perhaps the other way round, and both had emigrated in opposite directions to the other side of the world. Once in Australia, he remarried a woman called Emily Perkin in 1906, and started a second family.
All the remained was to find out what a Lumper is, or was. It's not hard to guess, they lump things around at the docks in Fremantle, the seaport next to Perth, and it seems they were quite a big thing in that part of the world. I've yet to find out what Heggie's exact role was with them, but the mystery of what happened to another Scotland international has finally been put to rest.
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