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Robert Dixon, Treasurer of the Scottish Football Association
A major fraud in Scottish football was uncovered in 1906 when the SFA Treasurer was found to have embezzled the equivalent of a quarter of a million pounds. But there was nothing anyone could do about it – the money was gone and the culprit was too ill to answer charges.
The man who left the gaping hole in the Scottish Football Association accounts was Robert Dixon, a trusted accountant who had held office for over a decade. His clever fraud caused a scandal that shocked those who thought they knew him well.
Dixon was a director of Morton and had a position of considerable influence in the game, yet he was living a lie. Born in Lockerbie, after his mother died he moved with his father to Greenock where he trained to become an accountant. He set up in business and threw himself into local life, becoming an upstanding member of the community as Treasurer of the Greenock Total Abstinence Society and Session Clerk of Mid Parish Church.
But it was in football that he found his niche as a valued administrator because of his financial acumen, and in 1891 he was elected to the SFA committee as a representative of Renfrewshire Association.
His club at the time was the wonderfully-named Greenock Abstainers, a short-lived organisation which only joined the SFA in 1889 and had a remarkable record in their three Scottish Cup campaigns, losing 0-8 to Port Glasgow Athletic, 0-13 to Newmains and 0-20 to Johnstone. Based at Upper Ingleston Park, the club folded in 1893, at which point Dixon moved to Bute Rangers (Rothesay) to retain his place on the SFA committee.
The man who left the gaping hole in the Scottish Football Association accounts was Robert Dixon, a trusted accountant who had held office for over a decade. His clever fraud caused a scandal that shocked those who thought they knew him well.
Dixon was a director of Morton and had a position of considerable influence in the game, yet he was living a lie. Born in Lockerbie, after his mother died he moved with his father to Greenock where he trained to become an accountant. He set up in business and threw himself into local life, becoming an upstanding member of the community as Treasurer of the Greenock Total Abstinence Society and Session Clerk of Mid Parish Church.
But it was in football that he found his niche as a valued administrator because of his financial acumen, and in 1891 he was elected to the SFA committee as a representative of Renfrewshire Association.
His club at the time was the wonderfully-named Greenock Abstainers, a short-lived organisation which only joined the SFA in 1889 and had a remarkable record in their three Scottish Cup campaigns, losing 0-8 to Port Glasgow Athletic, 0-13 to Newmains and 0-20 to Johnstone. Based at Upper Ingleston Park, the club folded in 1893, at which point Dixon moved to Bute Rangers (Rothesay) to retain his place on the SFA committee.
Unstinting praise for Robert Dixon when he brought international football to Greenock (Greenock Telegraph, 15 March 1902, via British Newspaper Archive)
A year later, in 1894, he was elected SFA Treasurer as a director of Greenock Morton and remained in post until the fraud was uncovered in 1906. Meanwhile his influence continued to grow. He was elected president of Morton, then chairman when it became a limited company in 1896. He was on the SFA's international selection committee and through his influence, Greenock hosted the Scotland v Wales international in 1902, the only international ever to come to the town.
However, all this time he had a secret and trouble was brewing. As Treasurer of the SFA he was trusted with their financial management, and when the Association decided in 1899 to invest £1,800 (the equivalent of about £250k today) he was left to make the arrangements.
He put the money in 'Consols' (consolidated annuities, a type of government bond with no scheduled end date, which offered perpetual interest payments). He registered the Consols in his own name, which allowed him, a few months later, secretly to sell them and keep the money. He covered the fraud by retaining the original purchase receipt and paying the notional interest, about £42, into the SFA accounts each year. To any casual observer, even to the auditors, there was nothing wrong.
This could have continued almost indefinitely but in 1906 Dixon fell ill. The SFA's initial reaction was sympathy for his inability to work and in April they awarded him an honorarium of £100 for his excellent service, then the following month he was re-elected treasurer despite his continuing illness.
However, all this time he had a secret and trouble was brewing. As Treasurer of the SFA he was trusted with their financial management, and when the Association decided in 1899 to invest £1,800 (the equivalent of about £250k today) he was left to make the arrangements.
He put the money in 'Consols' (consolidated annuities, a type of government bond with no scheduled end date, which offered perpetual interest payments). He registered the Consols in his own name, which allowed him, a few months later, secretly to sell them and keep the money. He covered the fraud by retaining the original purchase receipt and paying the notional interest, about £42, into the SFA accounts each year. To any casual observer, even to the auditors, there was nothing wrong.
This could have continued almost indefinitely but in 1906 Dixon fell ill. The SFA's initial reaction was sympathy for his inability to work and in April they awarded him an honorarium of £100 for his excellent service, then the following month he was re-elected treasurer despite his continuing illness.
That sympathy vanished in the autumn when the expected annual interest payment did not come through. In Dixon's absence the Finance Committee asked the Bank of England about the Consol investment, only to be told it no longer existed, nor had it done for several years.
As it dawned on them that they had been duped, Dixon was removed from office and the SFA held a special meeting to decide what had to be done. There were heated calls for recrimination but with the culprit too ill to respond and reported to be penniless, they were left with no option but to write off the loss.
Dixon never recovered and died of tuberculosis in 1909 aged 45, leaving a wife and three young daughters. The money was all gone, with his estate valued at just £86, which begs the question what he did with it. As an abstainer and a pillar of the church he could hardly have got away with a high-flying lifestyle, so it appears that the explanation was more mundane, and he used it to prop up his business.
The SFA, on the other hand, realised its systems had allowed too much trust to be placed in one man, and it introduced checks and balances to ensure nothing like this could ever happen again.
Robert Dixon
Born Dryfesdale, Lockerbie, 4 July 1863
Died South Street, Greenock, 1 April 1909
As it dawned on them that they had been duped, Dixon was removed from office and the SFA held a special meeting to decide what had to be done. There were heated calls for recrimination but with the culprit too ill to respond and reported to be penniless, they were left with no option but to write off the loss.
Dixon never recovered and died of tuberculosis in 1909 aged 45, leaving a wife and three young daughters. The money was all gone, with his estate valued at just £86, which begs the question what he did with it. As an abstainer and a pillar of the church he could hardly have got away with a high-flying lifestyle, so it appears that the explanation was more mundane, and he used it to prop up his business.
The SFA, on the other hand, realised its systems had allowed too much trust to be placed in one man, and it introduced checks and balances to ensure nothing like this could ever happen again.
Robert Dixon
Born Dryfesdale, Lockerbie, 4 July 1863
Died South Street, Greenock, 1 April 1909
Two of Robert Dixon's medals came up for auction at Graham Budd Auctions in 2019.
The Scotland team and officials in 1895, with Robert Dixon back row, far right.
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Archie Ritchie in his Nottingham Forest shirt
All historians make mistakes. And now I have to put my hand up and admit I made a mistake in my Who's Who of Scotland Internationalists.
When the book came out in the summer of 2021 there were many individual biographies which corrected the 'established wisdom' about player dates, so I was prepared for challenges and queries. A few came along, but in each case I was able to demonstrate that my research was correct. Until now.
I had an email last week from Martin Donnelly, an assiduous researcher who has been tracking down the graves of footballers. He had just found the final resting place of Archie Ritchie, a Scotland internationalist in 1891 while playing for East Stirlingshire and an FA Cup winner with Nottingham Forest in 1898.
When the book came out in the summer of 2021 there were many individual biographies which corrected the 'established wisdom' about player dates, so I was prepared for challenges and queries. A few came along, but in each case I was able to demonstrate that my research was correct. Until now.
I had an email last week from Martin Donnelly, an assiduous researcher who has been tracking down the graves of footballers. He had just found the final resting place of Archie Ritchie, a Scotland internationalist in 1891 while playing for East Stirlingshire and an FA Cup winner with Nottingham Forest in 1898.
Archie Ritchie's gravestone in Nottingham (image courtesy of Terence Woolhouse)
Ritchie was thought to have been born in April 1872, which meant he was just 18 when he was capped. However, his gravestone in Church Cemetery, Nottingham, tells a different story: installed after his death on 18 January 1932, it provides a precise date of birth as 21 October 1869.
As soon as I heard this, I checked my research notes and I can only say I can't have done my job properly in following through his assumed date of birth by comparing it with later records. I found that the Archibald Ritchie born in Kirkcaldy in 1872 could not have been the footballer, as he died aged just 11 weeks of smallpox.
However, there were no records for an 1869 birth under that name. It took further investigation to get at the truth, which was more complicated than expected as the date on his gravestone also turned out to be wrong.
As soon as I heard this, I checked my research notes and I can only say I can't have done my job properly in following through his assumed date of birth by comparing it with later records. I found that the Archibald Ritchie born in Kirkcaldy in 1872 could not have been the footballer, as he died aged just 11 weeks of smallpox.
However, there were no records for an 1869 birth under that name. It took further investigation to get at the truth, which was more complicated than expected as the date on his gravestone also turned out to be wrong.
Archibald Ritchie's birth certificate from 1868: signed by his father as Ritchieson, recorded by the registrar as Richardson!
Archibald Ritchie was actually born in Alloa one year earlier, on 21 October 1868, and in a confusing turn of events his surname was recorded by the registrar as Richardson, yet his father signed his name on the certificate as Ritchieson (which he had also used when he married).
The Ritchieson family soon moved to Bainsford, a suburb of Falkirk, where there appears to be a gradual change in the surname as they were recorded in the 1871 census as Ritchie, in 1881 as Richardson, and back to Ritchie for 1891.
1891 was also the year that Ritchie was capped by Scotland, aged 22 rather than 18 as previously thought. He had spent five years with East Stirlingshire by this time, helping them become the top team in the area, and on the back of his international status he turned professional with Nottingham Forest.
The Ritchieson family soon moved to Bainsford, a suburb of Falkirk, where there appears to be a gradual change in the surname as they were recorded in the 1871 census as Ritchie, in 1881 as Richardson, and back to Ritchie for 1891.
1891 was also the year that Ritchie was capped by Scotland, aged 22 rather than 18 as previously thought. He had spent five years with East Stirlingshire by this time, helping them become the top team in the area, and on the back of his international status he turned professional with Nottingham Forest.
A local paper introduces Ritchie after his transfer south and describes him wrongly as 'a native of Fifeshire' (Nottingham Evening Post, 15 August 1891, via British Newspaper Archive)
Forest were on a recruitment spree that summer and signed a number of other Scots, including internationalists John McPherson of Hearts and 'Kiltie' Hamilton of Hurlford. Hamilton gave a flavour of the lifestyle of a professional footballer as he was paid £2 15s a week and wrote home: 'Wish I had gone sooner: fed on the best, drink of the best, smoke of the choicest – quite lionised. Never was so happy.'
Ritchie went straight into the first team where he developed a fine partnership at full back with Adam Scott, and they remained at the heart of the Forest defence for most of the decade, famously winning the FA Cup in 1898 by beating favourites Derby County 3-1 at the Crystal Palace.
Ritchie went straight into the first team where he developed a fine partnership at full back with Adam Scott, and they remained at the heart of the Forest defence for most of the decade, famously winning the FA Cup in 1898 by beating favourites Derby County 3-1 at the Crystal Palace.
The Nottingham Forest team which won the FA Cup in 1898. Archie Ritchie is in the back row, second player from left.
He ended his career with brief spells at Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town before retiring to Nottingham, where he married Emily Dodson in 1904. They ran pubs together for many years, the Porter's Rest then the Sawyers Arms, until his death in 1932. They had no children, she later remarried and died in 1971.
One other thing I found about Archie Ritchie which was new to me was that in August 1897, at the peak of his football career, he was sentenced to 21 days in prison for intimidating a strike-breaker in Nottingham.
I have amended my Who's Who for future purchasers, and can only apologise to those who have already bought the book. It may just be one wrong date of birth among 615 internationalists, but I am intensely annoyed to have found this error. However, nobody is immune from this kind of thing and, as the old adage goes, 'the man who never made mistakes, never made anything'.
Archibald Ritchie. Born 21 October 1868 at Kellie Bank, Alloa, Clackmannan. Died 18 January 1932 at Greyfriar Gate, Nottingham. One cap for Scotland, v Wales on 21 March 1891 at Wrexham.
NB a few typos in the book have been corrected over the past year, mostly minor grammar or spelling issues.
However, two key dates for the 1872 Scotland 'originals' have been updated:
For James Smith, I mistyped his date of death as 26 September 1876 when it should read 20 September 1876.
For James B Weir, the date I quoted (23 November 1851) was his baptism, whereas his correct birth date was 21 October 1851.
One other thing I found about Archie Ritchie which was new to me was that in August 1897, at the peak of his football career, he was sentenced to 21 days in prison for intimidating a strike-breaker in Nottingham.
I have amended my Who's Who for future purchasers, and can only apologise to those who have already bought the book. It may just be one wrong date of birth among 615 internationalists, but I am intensely annoyed to have found this error. However, nobody is immune from this kind of thing and, as the old adage goes, 'the man who never made mistakes, never made anything'.
Archibald Ritchie. Born 21 October 1868 at Kellie Bank, Alloa, Clackmannan. Died 18 January 1932 at Greyfriar Gate, Nottingham. One cap for Scotland, v Wales on 21 March 1891 at Wrexham.
NB a few typos in the book have been corrected over the past year, mostly minor grammar or spelling issues.
However, two key dates for the 1872 Scotland 'originals' have been updated:
For James Smith, I mistyped his date of death as 26 September 1876 when it should read 20 September 1876.
For James B Weir, the date I quoted (23 November 1851) was his baptism, whereas his correct birth date was 21 October 1851.
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This year sees the 150th anniversary of the world's first football international, Scotland v England at Hamilton Crescent in 1872. This is the story of one of the players in that match, a pioneer of association football in both Scotland and England.
Robert Smith was an important figure: a founder of Queen's Park, a Scotland internationalist, thought to be the first man to play the game on both sides of the border. Yet, until recently, little was known about him as he emigrated in 1873 and, as my title says, went off to the Rocky Mountains.
Tracking him down simply would not have been possible a few years ago, but newly-digitised resources have transformed research.
Robert Smith was an important figure: a founder of Queen's Park, a Scotland internationalist, thought to be the first man to play the game on both sides of the border. Yet, until recently, little was known about him as he emigrated in 1873 and, as my title says, went off to the Rocky Mountains.
Tracking him down simply would not have been possible a few years ago, but newly-digitised resources have transformed research.
Robert Smith, Scotland internationalist in 1872
Let's begin with what was known about him: he was present in 1867 at the starting point for Scottish football, in a room on the south side of Glasgow where a group of young men founded Queen's Park FC. It was the first club in Scotland to take up association rules.
A couple of years later Robert moved to London for work, where he continued to play football with South Norwood, but retained his Queen's Park membership and played for them against Wanderers in the semi-final of the inaugural FA Cup competition in 1872. He also represented his parent club – and by extension the interests of Scottish football – on the FA management committee. In November that year, Robert and his brother James came back to Glasgow to take part in the first international. Then, in 1873, Robert emigrated and disappeared from view.
So, what else do we know? A key document is the first minute of Queen's Park FC from 9 July 1867. The original was lost in a fire in 1945, along with much of the club archive, but thankfully it was reproduced in Richard Robinson's club history, published in 1920. A word of caution, though, as his book is often used as the prime source of information for this period. Robinson was not there in person and made mistakes: for example, he thought Robert Smith was the senior of the brothers, whereas it was James. I'll come back to this document later.
A couple of years later Robert moved to London for work, where he continued to play football with South Norwood, but retained his Queen's Park membership and played for them against Wanderers in the semi-final of the inaugural FA Cup competition in 1872. He also represented his parent club – and by extension the interests of Scottish football – on the FA management committee. In November that year, Robert and his brother James came back to Glasgow to take part in the first international. Then, in 1873, Robert emigrated and disappeared from view.
So, what else do we know? A key document is the first minute of Queen's Park FC from 9 July 1867. The original was lost in a fire in 1945, along with much of the club archive, but thankfully it was reproduced in Richard Robinson's club history, published in 1920. A word of caution, though, as his book is often used as the prime source of information for this period. Robinson was not there in person and made mistakes: for example, he thought Robert Smith was the senior of the brothers, whereas it was James. I'll come back to this document later.
Minute of the founding meeting of Queen's Park Football Club, 9 July 1867
Descriptions of James and Robert Smith in the first Scottish Football Annual of 1875
Having left Scotland, Robert Smith soon faded from memory, with just a few less-than-complimentary recollections of him and his brother in the first Scottish Football Annual. Published in 1875, all they could write was: Gone to the Rocky Mountains.
Another chronicler of early Scottish football, the journalist DD Bone, was also ambivalent about Smith's talents – 'he was not what could be called a brilliant forward' – and equally vague as to where he had gone.
At first sight, it looked like it would be almost impossible to track down what happened to him. Not only is Smith the most common name, the Rocky Mountains stretch for three thousand miles from Canada to New Mexico. He could be anywhere.
However, as with any research, there are clues, and the breakthrough for me was a snippet in Richard Robinson's book, where he described a club presentation to Robert Smith on the occasion of his marriage.
He gave a precise date, 22 July 1879, and using the digitised Glasgow Herald, I trawled through the following day's personal announcements, and there he was, getting married in Glasgow. He was described as a merchant of Green River City, Wyoming, not exactly a prime destination for an emigrant Scot. Even now, Green River is a humdrum mining community in south-west Wyoming, its economy based on vast underground resources of 'trona', the raw material for soda ash.
Another chronicler of early Scottish football, the journalist DD Bone, was also ambivalent about Smith's talents – 'he was not what could be called a brilliant forward' – and equally vague as to where he had gone.
At first sight, it looked like it would be almost impossible to track down what happened to him. Not only is Smith the most common name, the Rocky Mountains stretch for three thousand miles from Canada to New Mexico. He could be anywhere.
However, as with any research, there are clues, and the breakthrough for me was a snippet in Richard Robinson's book, where he described a club presentation to Robert Smith on the occasion of his marriage.
He gave a precise date, 22 July 1879, and using the digitised Glasgow Herald, I trawled through the following day's personal announcements, and there he was, getting married in Glasgow. He was described as a merchant of Green River City, Wyoming, not exactly a prime destination for an emigrant Scot. Even now, Green River is a humdrum mining community in south-west Wyoming, its economy based on vast underground resources of 'trona', the raw material for soda ash.
In the 1870s, however, Green River was almost nothing, a frontier town of tents and shacks. It owed its existence – and still does – to the trans-continental railway, the Union Pacific Railroad. You can just see the train there, steaming out of town.
I duly googled 'Robert Smith' and 'Green River', and to my astonishment his life appeared before my eyes as the New York Public Library had digitised and put online Progressive Men of the State of Wyoming, a collection of biographies published in 1903. There were copious details of his life, from his fairly humble family background – his father was a gardener – through his education at Fordyce Academy, his employment in Glasgow and London, his early experiences in Wyoming as a financial clerk with a mining company, and concluding with his glittering career as newspaper editor and politician. He founded a paper called the Sweetwater Gazette, which has since changed its name but is still going, and became Chief Clerk of the Wyoming House of Representatives.
Then, in the Wyoming Newspaper Archive, another free online resource, I filled in more gaps. Smith left Wyoming in 1903 and sold lucrative mineral rights in what was then called Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma, until his death.
I duly googled 'Robert Smith' and 'Green River', and to my astonishment his life appeared before my eyes as the New York Public Library had digitised and put online Progressive Men of the State of Wyoming, a collection of biographies published in 1903. There were copious details of his life, from his fairly humble family background – his father was a gardener – through his education at Fordyce Academy, his employment in Glasgow and London, his early experiences in Wyoming as a financial clerk with a mining company, and concluding with his glittering career as newspaper editor and politician. He founded a paper called the Sweetwater Gazette, which has since changed its name but is still going, and became Chief Clerk of the Wyoming House of Representatives.
Then, in the Wyoming Newspaper Archive, another free online resource, I filled in more gaps. Smith left Wyoming in 1903 and sold lucrative mineral rights in what was then called Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma, until his death.
Yet one thing was missing in all this: football. It seems he had left it all behind. Eventually I did come across a report in 1883 when he got up a football team from Green River to face the nearby town of Rock Springs, but that was a one-off novelty for Independence Day. Scots may have introduced soccer to many parts of the world, but Wyoming was not going to be one of them.
Sport apart, he certainly made an impact locally. Here is the famous put-down from Bill Nye, editor of a rival newspaper in nearby Laramie: 'We have nothing more to say of the editor of the Sweetwater Gazette. Aside from the fact that he is a squint-eyed, consumptive liar, with a breath like a buzzard and a record like a convict, we don't know anything against him. If he don't tell the truth a little more plenty, the Green River people will rise as one man and churn him up till there won't be anything left of him but a pair of suspenders and a wart.'
Anyway, Smith was undaunted by the criticism and the electorate were happy to be represented by him in the Wyoming legislature, so that eventually he became the Honorable Robert Smith.
Taking the project further, I carried on piecing together the Smith family story. His son was a doctor in Chicago, his grandson was a US naval officer who survived Pearl Harbour unscathed. And finally I traced the footballer's great-granddaughter in Connecticut, and she has the family scrapbook and even an athletics trophy that Robert won in 1869. That gave me an outstanding source of material, pictured below.
Sport apart, he certainly made an impact locally. Here is the famous put-down from Bill Nye, editor of a rival newspaper in nearby Laramie: 'We have nothing more to say of the editor of the Sweetwater Gazette. Aside from the fact that he is a squint-eyed, consumptive liar, with a breath like a buzzard and a record like a convict, we don't know anything against him. If he don't tell the truth a little more plenty, the Green River people will rise as one man and churn him up till there won't be anything left of him but a pair of suspenders and a wart.'
Anyway, Smith was undaunted by the criticism and the electorate were happy to be represented by him in the Wyoming legislature, so that eventually he became the Honorable Robert Smith.
Taking the project further, I carried on piecing together the Smith family story. His son was a doctor in Chicago, his grandson was a US naval officer who survived Pearl Harbour unscathed. And finally I traced the footballer's great-granddaughter in Connecticut, and she has the family scrapbook and even an athletics trophy that Robert won in 1869. That gave me an outstanding source of material, pictured below.
Robert Smith (third from left) with fellow members of the Rock Springs Caledonian Club, in their finery
Robert Smith in his mineral rights leasing office in Oklahoma
A trophy won by Robert Smith at the West of Scotland CC Sports in 1869. It is still held by his family
And finally, Chicago's Graceland Cemetery sent me this photo of Robert's gravestone, complete with thistle to mark his Scottish roots. His death in 1914, while visiting his son in Chicago, prompted obituaries in the Wyoming press but nothing back in Scotland where he was forgotten.
James Smith, Robert's elder brother
James is on the family grave at Urquhart, near Elgin
Robert Smith's story might end there, but in terms of my football research all sorts of doors were starting to open. I found what happened to James, his older brother and fellow Scotland internationalist, who had also played for Queen's Park and South Norwood in the FA Cup. Having worked in London as a salesman, sadly he suffered a stroke and returned to the family home near Elgin in the north of Scotland, where he died aged just 32, in 1876.
Another key name at the birth of Queen’s Park was the club's first secretary, who wrote and signed the minute in 1867, in beautiful handwriting. He was called Klinger in Robinson's club history, but if you look closely at the signature you can see his name was actually Klingner, with an 'n'. That small difference made it possible to research one of the founders of Queen's Park: William Klingner was born in 1848 in Portsoy, a fishing village on the north-east coast.
The other signature was Lewis Black, the first club captain, born in Cullen, which is just six miles west of Portsoy. And halfway between Cullen and Portsoy is Fordyce, where both Smith brothers and William Klingner went to the local Academy.
So, you have three out of the four office bearers of Scotland's first football club – Black, Klingner and Smith – all coming from a tiny group of communities on the north-east coast. The exception was the club president Mungo Ritchie, who came from Perthshire.
What is more, that sense of togetherness remained as when Klingner moved to London, he shared digs in Lambeth with the Smith brothers, then followed Robert to America.
Another key name at the birth of Queen’s Park was the club's first secretary, who wrote and signed the minute in 1867, in beautiful handwriting. He was called Klinger in Robinson's club history, but if you look closely at the signature you can see his name was actually Klingner, with an 'n'. That small difference made it possible to research one of the founders of Queen's Park: William Klingner was born in 1848 in Portsoy, a fishing village on the north-east coast.
The other signature was Lewis Black, the first club captain, born in Cullen, which is just six miles west of Portsoy. And halfway between Cullen and Portsoy is Fordyce, where both Smith brothers and William Klingner went to the local Academy.
So, you have three out of the four office bearers of Scotland's first football club – Black, Klingner and Smith – all coming from a tiny group of communities on the north-east coast. The exception was the club president Mungo Ritchie, who came from Perthshire.
What is more, that sense of togetherness remained as when Klingner moved to London, he shared digs in Lambeth with the Smith brothers, then followed Robert to America.
An advert for Smith and Klingner's store in Green River
To cap it all, in 1878 a new store opened in Green River: Smith and Klingner. So, two of the founders of Queen's Park, and therefore of Scottish football, could be found selling oysters and fruit in the American west just ten years later.
I could go on with these personal stories. But the next stage was to look at the bigger picture, and the obvious question was: who else got Scottish football going? You could write a book about it – and I did.
The focal point, of course, is the world's first football international, staged on St Andrew's Day 1872, at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Partick. I recommend a visit as it has changed little in 150 years and it is easy to imagine the scene that day, with a section of the cricket pitch roped off, the football field running north to south.
I could go on with these personal stories. But the next stage was to look at the bigger picture, and the obvious question was: who else got Scottish football going? You could write a book about it – and I did.
The focal point, of course, is the world's first football international, staged on St Andrew's Day 1872, at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Partick. I recommend a visit as it has changed little in 150 years and it is easy to imagine the scene that day, with a section of the cricket pitch roped off, the football field running north to south.
This is one of nine pictures that appeared in the Graphic magazine, the only contemporary illustrations of the match, drawn by Glasgow artist William Ralston. There is a life-size model of this tussle in the Scottish Football Museum, and that's also where you can see the only known surviving ticket from the match, as well as an original Scotland cap, which belonged to JJ Thomson, who played in the first three internationals.
Here are the 22 players in that first match. But who were they, how do they compare? First, their occupations. It's something of a generalisation, but clearly the Scots could be described as white collar workers – clerks, salesmen and middle management – although some did go on to be very successful in their careers. The English, on the other hand, were almost all in the 'professions' and senior management – the only real exception being John Brockbank, who took the unusual path for a Cambridge University graduate of being a Covent Garden actor.
The same goes for their educational background. As far as I can ascertain, not a single Scot stayed at school beyond the age of 15, and certainly none of them went to university, although they seem to have acquired a good standard of literacy and numeracy. The English, however, had the best education money could buy.
Perhaps the most glaring difference between Scots and English is their life span: on average the Scots died aged 55 against 68 for the English. In the England team, with the exception of Cuthbert Ottaway who died of pneumonia at 27, the youngest death was 47. Contrast that with the Scots, five of whom were dead by 40, mainly from tuberculosis.
You can draw your own conclusions about the links between social status, health and life expectancy, but the obvious inference from all of this is that association football in Scotland arose from a very different set of circumstances to England. Free from the baggage of school rules and traditions, the Scots developed their own style of play, using passing and teamwork rather than dribbling and individuality. That suited their smaller stature, and what is more it was incredibly successful.
Within five years of Queen's Park being established the Scots were able to match the English in that international of 1872, drawing 0-0. A few years on, they were virtually unbeatable: in 1878, Scotland won 7-2 against England and 9-0 against Wales.
By coincidence that was also the year that Fergie Suter and Jimmy Love went south to Darwen, the first of the flood of Scots professors who would transform the English game in years to come. The pioneers such as Robert Smith laid the ground for the modern sport of football that we all know today.
You can draw your own conclusions about the links between social status, health and life expectancy, but the obvious inference from all of this is that association football in Scotland arose from a very different set of circumstances to England. Free from the baggage of school rules and traditions, the Scots developed their own style of play, using passing and teamwork rather than dribbling and individuality. That suited their smaller stature, and what is more it was incredibly successful.
Within five years of Queen's Park being established the Scots were able to match the English in that international of 1872, drawing 0-0. A few years on, they were virtually unbeatable: in 1878, Scotland won 7-2 against England and 9-0 against Wales.
By coincidence that was also the year that Fergie Suter and Jimmy Love went south to Darwen, the first of the flood of Scots professors who would transform the English game in years to come. The pioneers such as Robert Smith laid the ground for the modern sport of football that we all know today.
I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about Scotland's football pioneers later this year when the 150th anniversary comes up. And if you want to read about them I do have a couple of books available which may interest you.
- Published on
Jack Diment
James Squair
Only two male Scottish footballers have ever played in a title-winning side in Italy. It happened way back in 1905, when Jack Diment and James Squair starred for the Juventus team that won the club's first 'Scudetto'.
Despite that remarkable achievement the pair remain almost unknown, even though precious few Scotsmen have featured at the top level in Italy over the years. The most notable names are Denis Law, Graeme Souness and Joe Jordan, while currently Liam Henderson and Aaron Hickey are starring in Serie A, but none of these fine players ever won a title.
While it has to be acknowledged that Diment and Squair were amateurs and hardly of the same standard, they have a fascinating story and their lives followed remarkably similar paths through work, football and even in marriage, before tragedy intervened.
Of the same age and background, they met in Newcastle as they embarked on a career in shipping, and while many records state that they joined Juventus from Newcastle United, the truth is that they were never on the club's books and their names do not appear in any contemporary British football records.
However, they must have played football at some level in England before they were sent to Turin in the autumn of 1904. Aged 19 and 20, they joined the staff of Walter F Becker, an influential steamship owner with interests in several Italian ports, whose company Navigazione Alta Italia ran the Creole Line. He also had a passion for football, having founded a club in Messina (Sicily) in 1901.
Shortly after their arrival, the two young men were pitched straight into the Juventus team. They made their debuts on 13 November 1904 in a 1-0 defeat to Genoa, a contest for the Palla Dapples – the silver ball donated by Henri Dapples for a series of challenge matches which saw the winner retain the elegant trophy.
Despite that remarkable achievement the pair remain almost unknown, even though precious few Scotsmen have featured at the top level in Italy over the years. The most notable names are Denis Law, Graeme Souness and Joe Jordan, while currently Liam Henderson and Aaron Hickey are starring in Serie A, but none of these fine players ever won a title.
While it has to be acknowledged that Diment and Squair were amateurs and hardly of the same standard, they have a fascinating story and their lives followed remarkably similar paths through work, football and even in marriage, before tragedy intervened.
Of the same age and background, they met in Newcastle as they embarked on a career in shipping, and while many records state that they joined Juventus from Newcastle United, the truth is that they were never on the club's books and their names do not appear in any contemporary British football records.
However, they must have played football at some level in England before they were sent to Turin in the autumn of 1904. Aged 19 and 20, they joined the staff of Walter F Becker, an influential steamship owner with interests in several Italian ports, whose company Navigazione Alta Italia ran the Creole Line. He also had a passion for football, having founded a club in Messina (Sicily) in 1901.
Shortly after their arrival, the two young men were pitched straight into the Juventus team. They made their debuts on 13 November 1904 in a 1-0 defeat to Genoa, a contest for the Palla Dapples – the silver ball donated by Henri Dapples for a series of challenge matches which saw the winner retain the elegant trophy.
The Palla Dapples, the attractive silver trophy which now sits in the Genoa football museum
They soon became an integral part of the team. Diment at right half was known as 'Il Mulo' – the mule – for his tenacity and no-nonsense approach, while fair-haired Squair at inside left was quick and creative, pitching in with the occasional goal.
Early in 1905 their influence was an important factor as Juventus lifted the Campionato Prima Categoria title, the predecessor to Serie A. By modern standards, it was not a lengthy campaign, with Juventus first winning the right to represent Piedmont by beating city rivals Torinese.
That qualified them for a mini league where they faced the champions of Lombardy and Liguria, US Milanese and Genoa respectively. The three teams played each other, home and away, over six weeks and Juventus had no difficulty defeating Milanese twice, with Squair scoring one of the goals, while both games against Genoa ended in draws.
That left them with six points before the final match of the series when, to general amazement, Genoa failed to beat Milanese. This meant that Juventus, a point clear, were declared champions of Italy for the first time (and they would not win it again until 1926).
Early in 1905 their influence was an important factor as Juventus lifted the Campionato Prima Categoria title, the predecessor to Serie A. By modern standards, it was not a lengthy campaign, with Juventus first winning the right to represent Piedmont by beating city rivals Torinese.
That qualified them for a mini league where they faced the champions of Lombardy and Liguria, US Milanese and Genoa respectively. The three teams played each other, home and away, over six weeks and Juventus had no difficulty defeating Milanese twice, with Squair scoring one of the goals, while both games against Genoa ended in draws.
That left them with six points before the final match of the series when, to general amazement, Genoa failed to beat Milanese. This meant that Juventus, a point clear, were declared champions of Italy for the first time (and they would not win it again until 1926).
The Juventus team of 1905 which won the championship. Back, from left: Armano, Durante, Mazzia. Middle: Walty, Goccione, Diment. Front: Barberis, Varetti, Forlano, Squair, Donna.
Amidst the celebrations the triumphant Juventus team posed for the cover photo of La Stampa Sportiva, with Diment and Squair taking pride of place. But while the two 'foreigners' were widely referred to as English, both were from Scottish families and many of their descendants still live in Scotland.
James Macgregor Squair was born in Edinburgh in 1884 and spent his early years there but sadly his mother died when he was only three. When he was about eight he moved briefly to London, where his father remarried, then to Newcastle, where he went to school. He started working as a shipbroker's clerk in the city but there is no record of his sporting activities in the local press apart from an appearance for a minor cricket club.
John Bowman Diment, known as 'Jack', was born in Plymouth in 1885 but that was only because his father, a Sergeant in the Gordon Highlanders, was posted briefly to Devonport Barracks. Jack was only on the south coast of England for the first six months of his life and when the family returned to Scotland he was brought up in the village of Durris, west of Aberdeen. When his father left the army they moved to Newcastle where Jack found a job with a shipping agency. He, too, was not mentioned in local sports reports.
After their title success, Diment and Squair continued to feature regularly for Juventus for three eventful seasons. The side came close to retaining the title in 1906 but when a play-off against Milan ended in a draw, Juventus refused to replay the match in protest at the venue being in their opponents' city, and Milan were awarded the title.
During the 1906-07 season Juventus recruited another British player, goalkeeper James McQueen, also with Scottish roots but born and brought up in London.
However this was a time of discord within the Juventus ranks and when a breakaway club was formed in the city, called Torino, several players moved across. Almost their first act was to knock Juventus out of the 1907 Campionato, in the very first Turin derby, which prompted more players to leave.
James Macgregor Squair was born in Edinburgh in 1884 and spent his early years there but sadly his mother died when he was only three. When he was about eight he moved briefly to London, where his father remarried, then to Newcastle, where he went to school. He started working as a shipbroker's clerk in the city but there is no record of his sporting activities in the local press apart from an appearance for a minor cricket club.
John Bowman Diment, known as 'Jack', was born in Plymouth in 1885 but that was only because his father, a Sergeant in the Gordon Highlanders, was posted briefly to Devonport Barracks. Jack was only on the south coast of England for the first six months of his life and when the family returned to Scotland he was brought up in the village of Durris, west of Aberdeen. When his father left the army they moved to Newcastle where Jack found a job with a shipping agency. He, too, was not mentioned in local sports reports.
After their title success, Diment and Squair continued to feature regularly for Juventus for three eventful seasons. The side came close to retaining the title in 1906 but when a play-off against Milan ended in a draw, Juventus refused to replay the match in protest at the venue being in their opponents' city, and Milan were awarded the title.
During the 1906-07 season Juventus recruited another British player, goalkeeper James McQueen, also with Scottish roots but born and brought up in London.
However this was a time of discord within the Juventus ranks and when a breakaway club was formed in the city, called Torino, several players moved across. Almost their first act was to knock Juventus out of the 1907 Campionato, in the very first Turin derby, which prompted more players to leave.
Torino on the cover of La Stampa Sportiva in April 1908. James McQueen is middle of the back row, Jack Diment is on the right of the middle, and James Squair is front left.
Among them were the Juventus foreigners, with McQueen first to leave and he was followed in the summer by Diment and Squair. They all played for Torino in 1907-08, concluding the season with an international tournament, but after that the team started to break up and they went their separate ways.
McQueen, who was a language teacher, headed for a new job in the south of France where he played for Olympique de Marseille and eventually won the French title in 1913 with Stade Helvetique.
Squair, meanwhile, went to Naples having been appointed as local manager for Peirce Brothers, an off-shoot of Becker's shipping agency. This marked the end of his football career, even though there was a club in Naples, as he had other things on his mind: he was in love with Mabel Stroud, daughter of an English lace manufacturer who was based in Turin.
Mabel followed Squair to Naples and they were married at the British Consulate in March 1909. In November they had a daughter called Emily but tragically he died just five days later, probably from illness although his death certificate does not state the cause. He was only 25.
Meanwhile, Diment remained in Turin and was in a relationship with Mabel's sister Olga. He spent another season with Torino, playing his last matches for them in March 1909 when the team won the Palla Dapples on two consecutive weeks.
His work then took him to Milan and within a week of moving, he joined Milan Cricket and Football Club (which became AC Milan) and played regularly with them for a year. In December, in the newly-expanded Prima Categoria, he showed he had lost none of his combative spirit when he punched an Andrea Doria player in retaliation for an off-the-ball kick, provoking a crowd invasion and an abandonment.
McQueen, who was a language teacher, headed for a new job in the south of France where he played for Olympique de Marseille and eventually won the French title in 1913 with Stade Helvetique.
Squair, meanwhile, went to Naples having been appointed as local manager for Peirce Brothers, an off-shoot of Becker's shipping agency. This marked the end of his football career, even though there was a club in Naples, as he had other things on his mind: he was in love with Mabel Stroud, daughter of an English lace manufacturer who was based in Turin.
Mabel followed Squair to Naples and they were married at the British Consulate in March 1909. In November they had a daughter called Emily but tragically he died just five days later, probably from illness although his death certificate does not state the cause. He was only 25.
Meanwhile, Diment remained in Turin and was in a relationship with Mabel's sister Olga. He spent another season with Torino, playing his last matches for them in March 1909 when the team won the Palla Dapples on two consecutive weeks.
His work then took him to Milan and within a week of moving, he joined Milan Cricket and Football Club (which became AC Milan) and played regularly with them for a year. In December, in the newly-expanded Prima Categoria, he showed he had lost none of his combative spirit when he punched an Andrea Doria player in retaliation for an off-the-ball kick, provoking a crowd invasion and an abandonment.
Milan in 1909, with Jack Diment on the right of the middle row.
By then, Olga had returned to England for the birth of their daughter Ruby, and that probably prompted Jack to leave Italy in the summer of 1910 to come home. This seems to have been the end of his football career as he married Olga and they returned to Newcastle.
During the First World War, Diment joined the Royal Army Service Corps as a driver and spent five years in uniform, serving in Salonika until he was invalided home in 1916. As a personal note, I was fascinated to find that he travelled back on the hospital ship Britannic, on which my own grandmother Sheila Macbeth was serving as a nurse; the ship was sunk by a mine in the Aegean Sea on its very next voyage but she survived to tell the tale.
After he recovered, Jack was posted to France, but surprisingly when the conflict was over he volunteered to remain in the army for an extra year in Germany. This was perhaps an indication that his marriage to Olga was on the rocks, as he later divorced her.
The lure of Italy was still strong as he returned to the country, remarried to Kate Clarke in 1932, and their son Donald was born in Turin. After the second world war, Jack and Kate settled near Hull, where he died in 1978 at the grand old age of 93.
Not many Scottish footballers have found success abroad, so let's celebrate Jack Diment and James Squair, whose exploits with Juventus, Torino and Milan are little known, and whose Italian title win in 1905 remains a unique achievement.
John Bowman Diment
Born 1 June 1885 in Devonport, Plymouth
Died 12 October 1978 in Castle Hill Hospital, by Hull, Yorkshire
Juventus 1904-07
Torino 1907-09
Milan 1909-10
James Macgregor Squair
Born 28 September 1884 in Edinburgh
Died 30 November 1909 in Fuorigrotta, Naples
Juventus 1904-07
Torino 1907-08
NB in the opening sentence I specified 'male footballers' because at least a dozen Scottish women have played professionally in Italy, with several of them winning league titles including Rose Reilly, Edna Neillis, June Hunter and Maria Blagojevic.
During the First World War, Diment joined the Royal Army Service Corps as a driver and spent five years in uniform, serving in Salonika until he was invalided home in 1916. As a personal note, I was fascinated to find that he travelled back on the hospital ship Britannic, on which my own grandmother Sheila Macbeth was serving as a nurse; the ship was sunk by a mine in the Aegean Sea on its very next voyage but she survived to tell the tale.
After he recovered, Jack was posted to France, but surprisingly when the conflict was over he volunteered to remain in the army for an extra year in Germany. This was perhaps an indication that his marriage to Olga was on the rocks, as he later divorced her.
The lure of Italy was still strong as he returned to the country, remarried to Kate Clarke in 1932, and their son Donald was born in Turin. After the second world war, Jack and Kate settled near Hull, where he died in 1978 at the grand old age of 93.
Not many Scottish footballers have found success abroad, so let's celebrate Jack Diment and James Squair, whose exploits with Juventus, Torino and Milan are little known, and whose Italian title win in 1905 remains a unique achievement.
John Bowman Diment
Born 1 June 1885 in Devonport, Plymouth
Died 12 October 1978 in Castle Hill Hospital, by Hull, Yorkshire
Juventus 1904-07
Torino 1907-09
Milan 1909-10
James Macgregor Squair
Born 28 September 1884 in Edinburgh
Died 30 November 1909 in Fuorigrotta, Naples
Juventus 1904-07
Torino 1907-08
NB in the opening sentence I specified 'male footballers' because at least a dozen Scottish women have played professionally in Italy, with several of them winning league titles including Rose Reilly, Edna Neillis, June Hunter and Maria Blagojevic.
- Published on
Claud Lambie in the striped shirt of Burnley FC, 1890
A headless corpse on a railway line. A fatal head injury in a football match. A soldier killed on active service.
Three deaths, in different decades, and all relate to the same man: Claud Lambie, Scottish footballer. Twice his demise was mistakenly reported in the press, but there was no doubting the outcome when it finally came on a summer's night in 1921. He found a deserted spot on a suburban railway line and lay down in front of an approaching train to end his eventful life.
Lambie is best remembered as the man who transformed Burnley Football Club in 1890. He joined a club which was rock bottom of the Football League, banged in enough goals to lift them to respectability, and maintained an average of a goal a game over the next season. Then he left as suddenly as he came, because of issues with drink and discipline.
Born in Renfrewshire in 1867, Lambie and his family moved to Dennistoun in Glasgow’s east end when he was about 12. His first name was spelled Claud although it was widely reported with an 'e' at the end.
Where he started his football career is not clear, it may have been locally with Shettleston, but he suddenly found himself at the centre of national attention aged 19, after he played for Clyde against Queen's Park in November 1886. A collision with Welsh international Humphrey Jones left him winded but he picked himself up and played until the end of the match.
Three deaths, in different decades, and all relate to the same man: Claud Lambie, Scottish footballer. Twice his demise was mistakenly reported in the press, but there was no doubting the outcome when it finally came on a summer's night in 1921. He found a deserted spot on a suburban railway line and lay down in front of an approaching train to end his eventful life.
Lambie is best remembered as the man who transformed Burnley Football Club in 1890. He joined a club which was rock bottom of the Football League, banged in enough goals to lift them to respectability, and maintained an average of a goal a game over the next season. Then he left as suddenly as he came, because of issues with drink and discipline.
Born in Renfrewshire in 1867, Lambie and his family moved to Dennistoun in Glasgow’s east end when he was about 12. His first name was spelled Claud although it was widely reported with an 'e' at the end.
Where he started his football career is not clear, it may have been locally with Shettleston, but he suddenly found himself at the centre of national attention aged 19, after he played for Clyde against Queen's Park in November 1886. A collision with Welsh international Humphrey Jones left him winded but he picked himself up and played until the end of the match.
Not dead after all: the reports of Claud Lambie's tragic 'death' in 1886 were soon corrected.
However, a few days later the Glasgow papers reported the sensational news that Lambie had died of a 'brain fever', having complained of a sore head after the game and then deteriorating. The story was repeated all around the country, but almost as quickly the truth emerged that it was all a ghastly rumour. The press had to print a correction, confirming that Lambie was fine after all. He was even able to play in Clyde's next match that weekend, away to Hibs, no doubt bemused by the fuss. One paper even described him as 'the reported dead man'.
Over the next four years he developed into a capable centre forward as he moved around various clubs. From Clyde he probably had a year at Arthurlie and then played for Shettleston and Glasgow Thistle. Later biographies stated he was selected for Renfrewshire, his birth county, and that appears to have been in 1888 while he was at Arthurlie.
For all that Lambie was a decent player, it was something of a surprise when Burnley persuaded him to turn professional, but Burnley were desperate, having not won a single match all season. Their offer would have been hard to refuse, a signing fee of £40 on top of a wage of £2 10s a week, and in January 1890 he went south along with the Glasgow Thistle goalkeeper, Archie Kay.
Although it took a few weeks for Lambie to find his shooting boots at Turf Moor, on 1 March he hit the jackpot as Burnley hammered Bolton Wanderers 7-0 to win their first league game of the season. Lambie was the star of the show, scoring a hat trick, also having two goals disallowed and hitting the post. Burnley went on to win four games in a row and Lambie finished as the club's top scorer with eight goals in seven appearances.
Over the next four years he developed into a capable centre forward as he moved around various clubs. From Clyde he probably had a year at Arthurlie and then played for Shettleston and Glasgow Thistle. Later biographies stated he was selected for Renfrewshire, his birth county, and that appears to have been in 1888 while he was at Arthurlie.
For all that Lambie was a decent player, it was something of a surprise when Burnley persuaded him to turn professional, but Burnley were desperate, having not won a single match all season. Their offer would have been hard to refuse, a signing fee of £40 on top of a wage of £2 10s a week, and in January 1890 he went south along with the Glasgow Thistle goalkeeper, Archie Kay.
Although it took a few weeks for Lambie to find his shooting boots at Turf Moor, on 1 March he hit the jackpot as Burnley hammered Bolton Wanderers 7-0 to win their first league game of the season. Lambie was the star of the show, scoring a hat trick, also having two goals disallowed and hitting the post. Burnley went on to win four games in a row and Lambie finished as the club's top scorer with eight goals in seven appearances.
The Burnley team which won the Lancashire Cup for the first time in 1890. Claud Lambie is in the middle row, immediately to the right of the trophy.
Then came the icing on the cake as Burnley won the Lancashire Cup for the first time, defeating the mighty Blackburn Rovers (who had just won the FA Cup) 2-0 in the final. The proud team posed for a photo with the trophy.
It seemed Lambie could do no wrong as he was direct, forceful and just as good with his head as his feet, which earned him the nickname 'the Leap'. However, the summer of 1890 brought the first indication that all was not well with his personal life, as he was prosecuted before Burnley magistrates for drunkenness, although the case was ultimately dismissed.
In the new season he continued his fine form at centre forward, knocking in the goals for Burnley with three hat tricks along the way, but in October the club suspended him for a fortnight for 'misconduct'. And although he was top scorer, they did so again in March which caused him to miss the last three league games.
He went home to Glasgow where he took advantage of a Scottish FA amnesty for professionals (the game was still notionally amateur) and rejoined Clyde in time for their end of season fixtures. However, the press were not quick to notice that he was a shadow of his former self and Clyde's form in the 1891/92 season, with Lambie leading the attack, was utterly unpredictable. Incredibly, two league matches ended with a 10-3 scoreline: a thrashing of Vale of Leven in August and a humiliating defeat to Hearts in October. By then, Lambie was so far off the pace that Clyde showed him the door.
He next popped up in the unlikely setting of Auchterarder in Perthshire, where he played a county cup-tie for Vale of Ruthven. Back in Glasgow he joined Glasgow Wanderers, a short-lived side in the Scottish Federation, and also played a Scottish Cup tie for Cowlairs against Celtic in January. This brought the comment: 'He has been under a cloud for some time and when at last he emerged from obscurity he did not create a very favourable impression, on the contrary he was far too fleshy and palpably unfit. He scored all the same.'
With his fitness and form having deserted him he took drastic action: in March 1892 he joined the Army, signing a seven year term for the Highland Light Infantry.
It seemed Lambie could do no wrong as he was direct, forceful and just as good with his head as his feet, which earned him the nickname 'the Leap'. However, the summer of 1890 brought the first indication that all was not well with his personal life, as he was prosecuted before Burnley magistrates for drunkenness, although the case was ultimately dismissed.
In the new season he continued his fine form at centre forward, knocking in the goals for Burnley with three hat tricks along the way, but in October the club suspended him for a fortnight for 'misconduct'. And although he was top scorer, they did so again in March which caused him to miss the last three league games.
He went home to Glasgow where he took advantage of a Scottish FA amnesty for professionals (the game was still notionally amateur) and rejoined Clyde in time for their end of season fixtures. However, the press were not quick to notice that he was a shadow of his former self and Clyde's form in the 1891/92 season, with Lambie leading the attack, was utterly unpredictable. Incredibly, two league matches ended with a 10-3 scoreline: a thrashing of Vale of Leven in August and a humiliating defeat to Hearts in October. By then, Lambie was so far off the pace that Clyde showed him the door.
He next popped up in the unlikely setting of Auchterarder in Perthshire, where he played a county cup-tie for Vale of Ruthven. Back in Glasgow he joined Glasgow Wanderers, a short-lived side in the Scottish Federation, and also played a Scottish Cup tie for Cowlairs against Celtic in January. This brought the comment: 'He has been under a cloud for some time and when at last he emerged from obscurity he did not create a very favourable impression, on the contrary he was far too fleshy and palpably unfit. He scored all the same.'
With his fitness and form having deserted him he took drastic action: in March 1892 he joined the Army, signing a seven year term for the Highland Light Infantry.
Claud Lambie's signature on his military attestation when he joined the Highland Light Infantry in 1892
The discipline of Army life seems to have done him good and soon he was starring for the HLI football team and scoring regularly. When he was on furlough at the end of the year he was invited back to Burnley where the crowd gave him a hero's welcome and he played four league matches albeit without finding the net. Burnley tried to buy him out of his Army contract but he remained with the HLI.
He played for them in the Army Cup and FA Cup and even represented the British Army against the London FA. Next time he went home on leave, at the end of 1894, he played once more for Clyde in a friendly.
His regiment was posted abroad to Malta early in 1895 and while there he won a medal when his team won the Governor’s Cup, although his old demons were still there as he was sentenced to a month in military prison for drunkenness. Next stop was Crete for six months in 1898 when the HLI were sent to help suppress an uprising, and he was released from the Army in March 1899 when his seven years were up.
Like all former soldiers he went on the Reserve list and just a few months later after the South African War broke out he was recalled. He spent the next three years on active service, which entitled him to campaign medals with clasps; he also suffered another month in prison for being drunk.
He played for them in the Army Cup and FA Cup and even represented the British Army against the London FA. Next time he went home on leave, at the end of 1894, he played once more for Clyde in a friendly.
His regiment was posted abroad to Malta early in 1895 and while there he won a medal when his team won the Governor’s Cup, although his old demons were still there as he was sentenced to a month in military prison for drunkenness. Next stop was Crete for six months in 1898 when the HLI were sent to help suppress an uprising, and he was released from the Army in March 1899 when his seven years were up.
Like all former soldiers he went on the Reserve list and just a few months later after the South African War broke out he was recalled. He spent the next three years on active service, which entitled him to campaign medals with clasps; he also suffered another month in prison for being drunk.
For the second time, a report of Claud Lambie's death had to be corrected. (Burnley Express, 21 November 1900, via British Newspaper Archive)
And remarkably, for a second time he was falsely declared to be dead. In April 1900 the Burnley Express reported that someone called Lambie was on the casualty lists in South Africa, and they had been informed that this was the famous centre forward. It took six months for the truth to be discovered, when another soldier reported he had seen Claud, alive and well.
When the war was over he was unscathed and came home to be discharged. Now a veteran, there was still time for a final piece of football action, playing for and coaching Auchterarder Thistle in 1902-03. Remarkably his team qualified for the Scottish Cup where they were drawn against Rangers, although he did not play in the 7-0 defeat at Ibrox.
Settling back into mundane life as a joiner in Glasgow, he married Jessie McAlpine in 1904 but there were no children and she died ten years later. Distraught and alone, he went where the work was, and although his base was Glasgow there were frequent contracts south of the border.
So it was in 1921 he was working in the Midlands. He turned up at a Burnley match in Leicester, which prompted the Burnley Express to remind its readers what transformative player he had been. Then during the summer, who knows what his state of mind was, but 54-year-old Claud was now out of work and decided to end it all.
In the small hours of 22 July 1921 a railway guard reported a man walking on the main line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton. Then just after 3am a headless corpse was found near Galton Bridge in Smethwick; the head was some distance away.
When the war was over he was unscathed and came home to be discharged. Now a veteran, there was still time for a final piece of football action, playing for and coaching Auchterarder Thistle in 1902-03. Remarkably his team qualified for the Scottish Cup where they were drawn against Rangers, although he did not play in the 7-0 defeat at Ibrox.
Settling back into mundane life as a joiner in Glasgow, he married Jessie McAlpine in 1904 but there were no children and she died ten years later. Distraught and alone, he went where the work was, and although his base was Glasgow there were frequent contracts south of the border.
So it was in 1921 he was working in the Midlands. He turned up at a Burnley match in Leicester, which prompted the Burnley Express to remind its readers what transformative player he had been. Then during the summer, who knows what his state of mind was, but 54-year-old Claud was now out of work and decided to end it all.
In the small hours of 22 July 1921 a railway guard reported a man walking on the main line from Birmingham to Wolverhampton. Then just after 3am a headless corpse was found near Galton Bridge in Smethwick; the head was some distance away.
A report on the inquest into the death of Claud Lambie (Smethwick Telephone, 30 July 1921 via BNA)
He was identified by a former soldier who served alongside him in South Africa, and this time there was no doubt that Claud Lambie really was dead (although bizarrely some newspapers reported that the dead footballer was John Lambie, formerly of Queen’s Park and Scotland). His elder brother Robert came down from Glasgow to the inquest, which came to the inevitable conclusion that it was suicide.
Even thirty years on he was still fondly remembered as one of Burnley's greatest players and the papers paid fulsome tributes to his goalscoring exploits. Sadly, this time, there was to be no retraction of the news of Claud Lambie's death.
Claud Lambie
Born 30 July 1867 in Barrhead, Renfrewshire to William Lambie and Ann Dunipace
Died 22 July 1921 near Galton Bridge, Smethwick, Staffordshire
Football career
Shettleston 1885-86 (unconfirmed)
Clyde 1886-87
Arthurlie 1887-88
Shettleston 1888-89
Glasgow Thistle 1889-90
Burnley Jan 1890-March 1891
Clyde May-Oct 1891
Vale of Ruthven Nov 1891
Glasgow Wanderers Dec 1891-Feb 1892
Cowlairs Jan 1892 (Scottish Cup tie)
Highland Light Infantry 1892-1902
Burnley Dec 1892 (four matches)
Clyde Dec 1894 (one match)
Auchterarder Thistle 1902-03
Honours
Renfrewshire v Dunbartonshire, 1888
British Army v London, 1894
Governor's Challenge Cup (Malta), 1896
NB there are references in the press to appearances for other representative teams including Renfrewshire, Glasgow and even reserve for Scotland but I have been unable to substantiate these.
Even thirty years on he was still fondly remembered as one of Burnley's greatest players and the papers paid fulsome tributes to his goalscoring exploits. Sadly, this time, there was to be no retraction of the news of Claud Lambie's death.
Claud Lambie
Born 30 July 1867 in Barrhead, Renfrewshire to William Lambie and Ann Dunipace
Died 22 July 1921 near Galton Bridge, Smethwick, Staffordshire
Football career
Shettleston 1885-86 (unconfirmed)
Clyde 1886-87
Arthurlie 1887-88
Shettleston 1888-89
Glasgow Thistle 1889-90
Burnley Jan 1890-March 1891
Clyde May-Oct 1891
Vale of Ruthven Nov 1891
Glasgow Wanderers Dec 1891-Feb 1892
Cowlairs Jan 1892 (Scottish Cup tie)
Highland Light Infantry 1892-1902
Burnley Dec 1892 (four matches)
Clyde Dec 1894 (one match)
Auchterarder Thistle 1902-03
Honours
Renfrewshire v Dunbartonshire, 1888
British Army v London, 1894
Governor's Challenge Cup (Malta), 1896
NB there are references in the press to appearances for other representative teams including Renfrewshire, Glasgow and even reserve for Scotland but I have been unable to substantiate these.
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A team group of Blackburn Rovers in 1895, with Tom Brandon sitting proudly in the centre of the front row
Tom Brandon was one of the most prominent Scottish footballers of the 1890s, a powerful full back who was capped against England and won the FA Cup with Blackburn Rovers. Yet despite his rugged image he is remembered in a surprisingly unique way, as he must be the only player ever to have a dancing school named after him.
I write this on the 80th anniversary of his death, having uncovered the mystery of his life story. For years, Brandon was thought to have emigrated to the USA after losing a court case when he was shamed for abandoning his wife and son. However, there was no further trace of him and it was assumed he had died there. Quite by chance I found he had later returned to Scotland, and settled into a new life in Edinburgh, where he died in 1941. He was one of the last players to be discovered while I was researching The Men Who Made Scotland.
Brandon was born in the Ayrshire mining village of Glengarnock, near Kilbirnie, in 1867. His Irish Catholic parents registered him as William but as he was known throughout his life as Tom I believe they added Thomas at his baptism. He had a fine football pedigree as his elder brothers Robert and James were also professionals on both sides of the border, as was a cousin called Harry, but Tom was the finest of them all. The family moved when he was very young to Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire, where he started his football career with local clubs Johnstone, Port Glasgow Athletic and St Mirren where he played alongside his brothers.
I write this on the 80th anniversary of his death, having uncovered the mystery of his life story. For years, Brandon was thought to have emigrated to the USA after losing a court case when he was shamed for abandoning his wife and son. However, there was no further trace of him and it was assumed he had died there. Quite by chance I found he had later returned to Scotland, and settled into a new life in Edinburgh, where he died in 1941. He was one of the last players to be discovered while I was researching The Men Who Made Scotland.
Brandon was born in the Ayrshire mining village of Glengarnock, near Kilbirnie, in 1867. His Irish Catholic parents registered him as William but as he was known throughout his life as Tom I believe they added Thomas at his baptism. He had a fine football pedigree as his elder brothers Robert and James were also professionals on both sides of the border, as was a cousin called Harry, but Tom was the finest of them all. The family moved when he was very young to Kilbarchan in Renfrewshire, where he started his football career with local clubs Johnstone, Port Glasgow Athletic and St Mirren where he played alongside his brothers.
Tom Brandon
Tom was recognised as a talent early on and was selected several times for Renfrewshire from 1887, also winning the Renfrewshire Cup with St Mirren in 1888. He was considered the finest full back in Scotland when he was signed by Blackburn Rovers in 1889, who spent freely that summer to attract the best. Their investment paid off as Rovers won the FA Cup in 1890 but Brandon was discovered to be ineligible under the rules of the time, and after playing in every other game that season he had to be dropped for the semi-final and final.
However, he did win an FA Cup medal in 1891 when Rovers retained the cup, beating Notts County in the final, and was selected for the Football League against the Football Alliance. By then, he had signed a controversial pre-contract agreement to move to Sheffield Wednesday, and part of the deal was him taking over the Woodman Inn.
He returned to Blackburn in September to get married to Elizabeth Duckworth, whose sister had already married fellow internationalist George Dewar. Appointed club captain, he fulfilled two years with Wednesday then wanted to return to Blackburn in 1893 but his club refused to grant him a transfer, as they were entitled to do under Football League regulations. As a way out of the impasse he signed for Nelson, in the Lancashire League, until Wednesday caved in and took a fee for his transfer to Rovers in December – one of the earliest examples of a transfer fee, with the amount widely quoted (and then denied) as £150.
He made his international debut in 1896 when the SFA finally ended its policy of selecting only Scottish-based players, and Brandon was one of several to feature against England. Although he did well in a 2-1 victory at Celtic Park, it turned out to be his only cap as his life took an unfortunate turn.
That summer he hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, as he was charged with persistent cruelty to his wife, who appeared in the witness box with a black eye and was duly granted a separation order and a weekly maintenance payment. Tom remained in Blackburn but his career was clearly waning, and he played his last match for Rovers in March 1900.
He returned to St Mirren that autumn but within a month he was back in court, charged with arrears on maintenance for his wife and was sent to prison for one month with the option to settle the arrears. He chose the latter, made his last appearance for Saints in January 1901 and left the country.
However, he did win an FA Cup medal in 1891 when Rovers retained the cup, beating Notts County in the final, and was selected for the Football League against the Football Alliance. By then, he had signed a controversial pre-contract agreement to move to Sheffield Wednesday, and part of the deal was him taking over the Woodman Inn.
He returned to Blackburn in September to get married to Elizabeth Duckworth, whose sister had already married fellow internationalist George Dewar. Appointed club captain, he fulfilled two years with Wednesday then wanted to return to Blackburn in 1893 but his club refused to grant him a transfer, as they were entitled to do under Football League regulations. As a way out of the impasse he signed for Nelson, in the Lancashire League, until Wednesday caved in and took a fee for his transfer to Rovers in December – one of the earliest examples of a transfer fee, with the amount widely quoted (and then denied) as £150.
He made his international debut in 1896 when the SFA finally ended its policy of selecting only Scottish-based players, and Brandon was one of several to feature against England. Although he did well in a 2-1 victory at Celtic Park, it turned out to be his only cap as his life took an unfortunate turn.
That summer he hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, as he was charged with persistent cruelty to his wife, who appeared in the witness box with a black eye and was duly granted a separation order and a weekly maintenance payment. Tom remained in Blackburn but his career was clearly waning, and he played his last match for Rovers in March 1900.
He returned to St Mirren that autumn but within a month he was back in court, charged with arrears on maintenance for his wife and was sent to prison for one month with the option to settle the arrears. He chose the latter, made his last appearance for Saints in January 1901 and left the country.
Tom Brandon's gravestone at Warriston Cemetery in Edinburgh
He was soon reported to be living in Rhode Island, USA, and that was the last anyone heard of him.
However, it appears that after the First World War he returned to Scotland to go back to work as a coal miner. He settled in central Edinburgh with his new partner, Mary Kemp, and while she called herself Mrs Brandon they never married. He lived with her and her family in Keir Street until his death.
However, it appears that after the First World War he returned to Scotland to go back to work as a coal miner. He settled in central Edinburgh with his new partner, Mary Kemp, and while she called herself Mrs Brandon they never married. He lived with her and her family in Keir Street until his death.
Betty Brandon (real name Elizabeth Morrison) standing on the right, with her young dancers from the popular Betty Brandon School of Dancing in Edinburgh
Unusually, the Brandon name lived on after his death. Mary Kemp had three daughters from her first marriage to William Morrison, and one of them was Betty, a talented dance teacher. When she set up a dance school in the 1930s she decided to name it after her mother's partner, so the Betty Brandon School of Dancing was founded. It became renowned as one of the best dance schools in Edinburgh for many years, and many hundreds of young girls and boys passed through its doors until at least the 1970s, little suspecting the footballer origins of the school's name.
Tom Brandon rests in Warriston Cemetery, his gravestone lying flat after falling from its plinth. It is the last reminder of a man who made a lasting impact not just as a footballer but in other fields as well.
William Thomas Brandon
Born 3 October 1867 at 136 Glengarnock, Ayrshire, to Robert Brandon and Eliza Smith.
Died 24 November 1941 at 18 Keir Street, Edinburgh.
Tom Brandon rests in Warriston Cemetery, his gravestone lying flat after falling from its plinth. It is the last reminder of a man who made a lasting impact not just as a footballer but in other fields as well.
William Thomas Brandon
Born 3 October 1867 at 136 Glengarnock, Ayrshire, to Robert Brandon and Eliza Smith.
Died 24 November 1941 at 18 Keir Street, Edinburgh.
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After buying a copy of a rare football handbook, I was intrigued to find out more about the author and his other sporting books.
The little volume by 'Straw Hat' on Rugby & Association Football was one of Dean's Champion Handbooks, which had attractive cover designs and were published to capitalise on the growing desire of the population to take up sport. They came out in the 1890s, and are now very difficult to find.
'Straw Hat' was the pseudonym of James Jeffery, who had an interesting story as a talented sportsman who combined school teaching with journalism.
The little volume by 'Straw Hat' on Rugby & Association Football was one of Dean's Champion Handbooks, which had attractive cover designs and were published to capitalise on the growing desire of the population to take up sport. They came out in the 1890s, and are now very difficult to find.
'Straw Hat' was the pseudonym of James Jeffery, who had an interesting story as a talented sportsman who combined school teaching with journalism.
Jeffery, born in 1834, went to school in Clapham and then qualified as a teacher at Battersea Training College. In 1858 he was appointed as Assistant Master at Epsom College, where his duties included running the school cricket team and he probably also played football. He held the post until 1879 when he set up a private Preparatory School for the College, which he ran until about 1900. He died in Epsom in 1907.
Meanwhile, he also carved out a career as a sports writer, initially concentrating on angling as 'Straw Hat' in the Licensed Victuallers' Gazette. His enthusiasm for sports must have appealed to Dean & Son Ltd of Fleet Street, who had started a series of sporting handbooks in the early 1890s based on previously published works about cricket, cycling and swimming. To expand their range, they employed Jeffery and he churned out several books including Football, Croquet, Tennis and Rowing, with an adaptation of the book on Swimming. The cheap editions sold for sixpence, while the hardbacks with colourful covers were a shilling.
Meanwhile, he also carved out a career as a sports writer, initially concentrating on angling as 'Straw Hat' in the Licensed Victuallers' Gazette. His enthusiasm for sports must have appealed to Dean & Son Ltd of Fleet Street, who had started a series of sporting handbooks in the early 1890s based on previously published works about cricket, cycling and swimming. To expand their range, they employed Jeffery and he churned out several books including Football, Croquet, Tennis and Rowing, with an adaptation of the book on Swimming. The cheap editions sold for sixpence, while the hardbacks with colourful covers were a shilling.
The listing of Dean's Champion Handbooks in 1898, including the cheap sixpenny booklets and the shilling hardback books.
James Jeffery, known as 'Straw Hat'
Jeffery was not just an enthusiastic writer, he also tried to improve the sporting experience and invented various gadgets such as a new type of batting glove, a kind of cricket practice net, and a spinning reel for angling.
While most of his book about football is about playing technique, he does provide an interesting anecdote about the early days of football before codification, describing a match played at Wimbledon in the 1860s when his team, which was a 'non-hacking club', came up against a school which did play the hacking game. I believe, from his description, that 'Josh' was the athlete GR (George Richard) Nunn, who was schooled at Epsom.
While most of his book about football is about playing technique, he does provide an interesting anecdote about the early days of football before codification, describing a match played at Wimbledon in the 1860s when his team, which was a 'non-hacking club', came up against a school which did play the hacking game. I believe, from his description, that 'Josh' was the athlete GR (George Richard) Nunn, who was schooled at Epsom.
James Jeffery's recollection of early football in south London
Epsom College cricket XI in 1863, with James Jeffery in striped shirt at the back (Epsom College Archive)
At the end of the day, James Jeffery was not a hugely important writer on sport, but his work in the Champion series does provide an interesting insight into the late Victoria era. And if nothing else, the attractive cover designs deserve to be appreciated by a wider audience.
Illustrated below are three more of Dean's Champion Handbooks, on billiards, swimming and golf. The images come from dealer catalogues, so they are not particularly sharp.
Illustrated below are three more of Dean's Champion Handbooks, on billiards, swimming and golf. The images come from dealer catalogues, so they are not particularly sharp.
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There used to be a strict rule in British international football, that you had to be born in the country you would represent. That's why Scots such as John Goodall and Joe Baker played for England, while English-bred players such as Alex Donaldson and Jack Lyall were capped by Scotland. Until the agreement changed in the 1970s to allow parental birthplaces to be considered, very few slipped through the net - I wrote recently about the cases of Willie Watson and James McKee.
However, there was one notable exception when the Scottish Football Association was quite happy to break the rule. Jimmy Wardhaugh of Hearts was capped twice for Scotland and nine times for the Scottish League despite a birthplace on the 'wrong' side of the border in Northumberland.
Wardhaugh was a goalscorer supreme in the outstanding Hearts team of the 1950s, part of the 'Terrible Trio' alongside Alfie Conn and Willie Bauld. Known as Twinkletoes for his quick feet, he scored no less than 376 goals for the club, a record that stood until it was beaten decades later by John Robertson.
Not surprisingly, Wardhaugh came into contention for international honours and his first call-up was for the Scottish League in January 1951. This prompted a lively debate in the press: was he really Scottish?
However, there was one notable exception when the Scottish Football Association was quite happy to break the rule. Jimmy Wardhaugh of Hearts was capped twice for Scotland and nine times for the Scottish League despite a birthplace on the 'wrong' side of the border in Northumberland.
Wardhaugh was a goalscorer supreme in the outstanding Hearts team of the 1950s, part of the 'Terrible Trio' alongside Alfie Conn and Willie Bauld. Known as Twinkletoes for his quick feet, he scored no less than 376 goals for the club, a record that stood until it was beaten decades later by John Robertson.
Not surprisingly, Wardhaugh came into contention for international honours and his first call-up was for the Scottish League in January 1951. This prompted a lively debate in the press: was he really Scottish?
Berwick Advertiser, 18 January 1951, discusses Wardhaugh's nationality and birthplace (British Newspaper Archive)
Wardhaugh himself confirmed he had been born in the hamlet of Marshall Meadows, the first settlement south of the Scotland-England border. He had moved to Edinburgh as a young boy and spent virtually all his life there, stating unequivocally: 'I am a Scot'. In football and geographical terms, however, despite spurious claims that the cottage where he was born was actually a few yards inside Scotland, there was no doubt about it: he was English.
Then, to general surprise, George Graham, the Secretary of the SFA, weighed into the debate with a curious piece of logic. He told the press: 'The SFA does not work to a foot-rule or feel itself bound by a matter of a few yards which are debatably English or Scottish ground. We have always regarded the Tweed as the border. Berwick Rangers are a Scottish club - they are playing at Brechin in the Scottish Cup next Saturday. And Wardhaugh is a Scotsman who I can say quite categorically will be brought into the selectors' reckoning when future teams are being chosen.'
George Graham, normally a pedantic stickler for rules, gave no explanation for this policy of blurred national boundaries. He also managed to contradict himself in his statement, as Berwick Rangers' home at Shielfield Park is actually south of the River Tweed, in Tweedmouth.
However, there were no complaints from the FA about his eligibility, and Wardhaugh scored on his debut for the Scottish League, against the League of Ireland. Despite his goal-scoring prowess he had to wait a while to be selected for the full national team, and finally made his Scotland debut against Hungary at a packed Hampden on 8 December 1954. He was capped just once more, against Northern Ireland on 7 November 1956.
Curiously, however, Wardhaugh was not born in Marshall Meadows, even though he claimed he was. Accounts of his life have always stated that was his birthplace, but they are all wrong. I recently ordered up his birth certificate and it clearly says James Alexander Douglas Wardhaugh was born on 21 March 1929 in Berwick itself, at 65 High Street (now named Marygate). This was the home of his mother's family, the Egans, who lived in a flat above a chemist shop; the building is still there although the business is now a charity shop.
Winniefred Egan had married Alexander Wardhaugh at Berwick Barracks in January 1928. Alexander, born in Tweedmouth, was a career soldier who had been in uniform since 1912 and was serving with the Royal Scots Greys, based at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, by the time Jimmy was born. Winnie was born in northern India while her own father was serving there, and was brought up in Berwick.
When Alexander retired from the Army in 1933 the family remained in Edinburgh, where Jimmy was brought up and spent the rest of his life. There is nothing to indicate that the Wardhaughs ever lived in Marshall Meadows, although it is possible the mother and baby stayed there for a short time.
Then, to general surprise, George Graham, the Secretary of the SFA, weighed into the debate with a curious piece of logic. He told the press: 'The SFA does not work to a foot-rule or feel itself bound by a matter of a few yards which are debatably English or Scottish ground. We have always regarded the Tweed as the border. Berwick Rangers are a Scottish club - they are playing at Brechin in the Scottish Cup next Saturday. And Wardhaugh is a Scotsman who I can say quite categorically will be brought into the selectors' reckoning when future teams are being chosen.'
George Graham, normally a pedantic stickler for rules, gave no explanation for this policy of blurred national boundaries. He also managed to contradict himself in his statement, as Berwick Rangers' home at Shielfield Park is actually south of the River Tweed, in Tweedmouth.
However, there were no complaints from the FA about his eligibility, and Wardhaugh scored on his debut for the Scottish League, against the League of Ireland. Despite his goal-scoring prowess he had to wait a while to be selected for the full national team, and finally made his Scotland debut against Hungary at a packed Hampden on 8 December 1954. He was capped just once more, against Northern Ireland on 7 November 1956.
Curiously, however, Wardhaugh was not born in Marshall Meadows, even though he claimed he was. Accounts of his life have always stated that was his birthplace, but they are all wrong. I recently ordered up his birth certificate and it clearly says James Alexander Douglas Wardhaugh was born on 21 March 1929 in Berwick itself, at 65 High Street (now named Marygate). This was the home of his mother's family, the Egans, who lived in a flat above a chemist shop; the building is still there although the business is now a charity shop.
Winniefred Egan had married Alexander Wardhaugh at Berwick Barracks in January 1928. Alexander, born in Tweedmouth, was a career soldier who had been in uniform since 1912 and was serving with the Royal Scots Greys, based at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, by the time Jimmy was born. Winnie was born in northern India while her own father was serving there, and was brought up in Berwick.
When Alexander retired from the Army in 1933 the family remained in Edinburgh, where Jimmy was brought up and spent the rest of his life. There is nothing to indicate that the Wardhaughs ever lived in Marshall Meadows, although it is possible the mother and baby stayed there for a short time.
Jimmy Wardhaugh's birth certificate records his birthplace as 65 High Street, Berwick upon Tweed
The SFA's recognition of Berwick as part of Scotland, for footballing purposes, appears to have been a one-off. Later internationalists to have been born in the town, Trevor Steven and Lucy Bronze, have played for England without any quibble. Also born in Berwick was Thomas Burn, who represented the 'Great Britain' football team in the 1912 Olympic Games; he played for the England amateur team yet his club side was London Caledonians.
In Jimmy Wardhaugh's case, England's loss was Scotland's gain. There is nothing unusual today about an English-born player with Scottish connections playing for Scotland, but in the 1950s he was a unique exception, thanks to the SFA's loose grip of geography.
Although he only won two caps, Jimmy remains a legendary figure at Tynecastle. His goals and teamwork helped Hearts to win the Scottish Cup in 1956, the Scottish League in 1958, and two League Cups. After retiring in 1961 he remained in football as a journalist until his sudden death on 2 January 1978, aged just 48.
* With thanks for David Speed, historian at Heart of Midlothian FC, for his input. I also recommend reading Tom Maxwell's book The Lone Rangers on the issue of nationality for a football fan in Berwick.
In Jimmy Wardhaugh's case, England's loss was Scotland's gain. There is nothing unusual today about an English-born player with Scottish connections playing for Scotland, but in the 1950s he was a unique exception, thanks to the SFA's loose grip of geography.
Although he only won two caps, Jimmy remains a legendary figure at Tynecastle. His goals and teamwork helped Hearts to win the Scottish Cup in 1956, the Scottish League in 1958, and two League Cups. After retiring in 1961 he remained in football as a journalist until his sudden death on 2 January 1978, aged just 48.
* With thanks for David Speed, historian at Heart of Midlothian FC, for his input. I also recommend reading Tom Maxwell's book The Lone Rangers on the issue of nationality for a football fan in Berwick.
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A chance purchase of an old tankard on ebay led me to delve into the history of one of the classic football television shows, Quiz Ball. It ran from 1966 to 1972 on the BBC and can be considered a forerunner to A Question of Sport which opened in 1970.
My pewter tankard is annoyingly lacking in detail, as it simply reads 'BBC TV Quiz Ball, Challenge Match 1972'. It turns out there were actually two challenge matches that year, and I cannot find any report of who won them and who might have been presented with the souvenir. But no matter, my research did reveal the fact that Scotland won Series 7 of Quiz Ball and then took part in a challenge match against the British Lions rugby team. Later that year, Northern Ireland met a team of Olympic medallists in another challenge.
My pewter tankard is annoyingly lacking in detail, as it simply reads 'BBC TV Quiz Ball, Challenge Match 1972'. It turns out there were actually two challenge matches that year, and I cannot find any report of who won them and who might have been presented with the souvenir. But no matter, my research did reveal the fact that Scotland won Series 7 of Quiz Ball and then took part in a challenge match against the British Lions rugby team. Later that year, Northern Ireland met a team of Olympic medallists in another challenge.
The tankard presented to participants in the Quiz Ball Challenge Match of 1972.
The story of Quiz Ball is punctuated by legendary performances by the 'brains' of football, notably the Scots John Cushley, Ian Ure and Jim Craig, and a number of other famous names turn up during the series, such as Alex Ferguson while he was at Falkirk. The teams always had a 'guest supporter' and unusually for the time a couple of them were women, notably Lady Isobel Barnett who once scored five for Leicester City.
Ian Ure's Quiz Ball trophy from 1967 when Arsenal won the inaugural competition
Among a few oddities: Terry Neill was a Quiz Ball stalwart who featured in the very first programme in 1966 for Arsenal and the very last one in 1972 for Northern Ireland; his team won both series. Rangers manager Scot Symon appeared in the show in 1967 but had been sacked by the time it was broadcast. Dr Who actor Jon Pertwee was roped in for Dunfermline Athletic as a last-minute substitute for Jimmy Logan in the 1971 final, and came away with a winner's medal.
There are several online articles about the series, and perhaps the most comprehensive is by Vince Cooper at The League. There is also the story of Celtic's victory in 1970 on Celtic Wiki.
Few videos of the show survive, although the very first edition in 1966 between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest is on YouTube. Recorded at Hornsea Town Hall, it is remarkable for all sorts of reasons, not least the pipe-smoking Forest team. As the show featured four 'own goals', it quickly led to a change of format so that goals were more likely to be scored by getting questions right rather than getting them wrong.
Quiz Ball was originally devised by Bill Wright, the show's producer, who was in charge of the BBC Quiz Unit and who also came up with the concept for Mastermind. That perhaps prompted another link, as Magnus Magnusson appeared twice on Quiz Ball as a guest supporter for Kilmarnock, despite later admitting that he had no connection with the team.
There are several online articles about the series, and perhaps the most comprehensive is by Vince Cooper at The League. There is also the story of Celtic's victory in 1970 on Celtic Wiki.
Few videos of the show survive, although the very first edition in 1966 between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest is on YouTube. Recorded at Hornsea Town Hall, it is remarkable for all sorts of reasons, not least the pipe-smoking Forest team. As the show featured four 'own goals', it quickly led to a change of format so that goals were more likely to be scored by getting questions right rather than getting them wrong.
Quiz Ball was originally devised by Bill Wright, the show's producer, who was in charge of the BBC Quiz Unit and who also came up with the concept for Mastermind. That perhaps prompted another link, as Magnus Magnusson appeared twice on Quiz Ball as a guest supporter for Kilmarnock, despite later admitting that he had no connection with the team.
Dunfermline Athletic were Quiz Ball champions in 1971. Their manager Alex Wright holds the trophy, flanked by John Cushley (left) and Jim Fraser.
I have put together a complete listing of all the matches played in the eight series of Quiz Ball. Much of the groundwork was done a few years ago by Mauro Pratesi, whose website is no longer functioning but can be accessed via the web archive. I have added a few details including the final two series between the international sides in 1972.
You can access the full results document here (pdf). A few details are missing so if you can fill in any of the gaps please contact me.
You can access the full results document here (pdf). A few details are missing so if you can fill in any of the gaps please contact me.
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Did you hear the one about the Englishman and the Irishman who played for Scotland against Wales? It sounds crazy but it actually happened in 1898.
At a time when the Scottish FA only selected players born north of the border, William Watson and James McKee helped Scotland to a 5-2 win over Wales. Watson was in goal, while McKee scored two of the goals.
What was not reported at the time, and has only recently come to light, was that they were not Scottish: Watson was born in South Shields, while McKee first saw the day in County Down. Both moved to Lanarkshire as boys and had effectively 'gone native'.
This is one of the discoveries I made while researching 'The Men who made Scotland', my new Who's Who of Scotland Internationalists.
At a time when the Scottish FA only selected players born north of the border, William Watson and James McKee helped Scotland to a 5-2 win over Wales. Watson was in goal, while McKee scored two of the goals.
What was not reported at the time, and has only recently come to light, was that they were not Scottish: Watson was born in South Shields, while McKee first saw the day in County Down. Both moved to Lanarkshire as boys and had effectively 'gone native'.
This is one of the discoveries I made while researching 'The Men who made Scotland', my new Who's Who of Scotland Internationalists.
William Watson (back row, second from right) with a victorious but unidentified five-a-side team and its prizes. Maybe Dykehead or East Stirlingshire (courtesy of Bill Aitchison)
William Watson was born in Westoe, South Shields, in 1873 and moved to Shotts with his mother and brothers in the 1880s after the death of his father. He became a goalkeeper with local team Dykehead then signed for East Stirlingshire in 1895, helping the team to the Scottish Qualifying Cup final. By now he was living in Falkirk, where he got married, started a family and was working as a miner. He joined the town’s other team, Falkirk FC in 1897.
James McKee, meanwhile, had been born in Moira, County Down in 1871. He was still an infant when his family moved to Shotts, and was brought up in the same area as Watson, also playing for Dykehead. He went on to a reasonably successful career as a goal-scoring centre forward, while never hitting the heights: he joined Hearts in 1895 but played just a couple of first team games (scoring in both), moved to Darwen in the English second division a year later, and came back to Scotland with East Stirlingshire in 1897.
Both players benefited from the SFA's policy in the late 19th century of putting out three distinct elevens for the home international series, with the players chosen to face Ireland and Wales regarded as 'second strings', often provincial players who were not really good enough to face England but deserving of recognition nonetheless. It was an era when players from Montrose, Alloa and East Stirlingshire could play for Scotland.
This reflected the standard of Watson and McKee, who had both won county caps for Stirlingshire, which put them in the reckoning for international honours. They were duly selected for an international trial at Cathkin in early March 1898 and although McKee had to withdraw through injury, when the selectors announced the team to face Wales, both were included.
James McKee, meanwhile, had been born in Moira, County Down in 1871. He was still an infant when his family moved to Shotts, and was brought up in the same area as Watson, also playing for Dykehead. He went on to a reasonably successful career as a goal-scoring centre forward, while never hitting the heights: he joined Hearts in 1895 but played just a couple of first team games (scoring in both), moved to Darwen in the English second division a year later, and came back to Scotland with East Stirlingshire in 1897.
Both players benefited from the SFA's policy in the late 19th century of putting out three distinct elevens for the home international series, with the players chosen to face Ireland and Wales regarded as 'second strings', often provincial players who were not really good enough to face England but deserving of recognition nonetheless. It was an era when players from Montrose, Alloa and East Stirlingshire could play for Scotland.
This reflected the standard of Watson and McKee, who had both won county caps for Stirlingshire, which put them in the reckoning for international honours. They were duly selected for an international trial at Cathkin in early March 1898 and although McKee had to withdraw through injury, when the selectors announced the team to face Wales, both were included.
Willie Watson's secret revealed in the Evening Citizen in April 1961 (courtesy Bill Aitchison)
Scotland's internationals in 1898 were played on three consecutive weekends, with Scotland using a total of 28 players. The series starting in Motherwell on 19 March with eight debutants in the line-up against Wales: William Watson (Falkirk); Nicol Smith (Rangers), Matthew Scott (Airdrieonians, captain); William Thomson (Dumbarton), Alex Christie (Queen's Park), Peter Campbell (Morton); James Gillespie (Third Lanark), James Miller (Rangers), James McKee (East Stirlingshire), Hugh Morgan (St Mirren), Robert Findlay (Kilmarnock).
The game drew a small crowd of around 3,500 to Fir Park, and they saw a comfortable victory for the home team. Scotland went four goals up, two from Gillespie and two from McKee, before the Welsh got one back just before half-time through the delightfully named Thomas Thomas. In the second half Gillespie completed his hat-trick and Morgan-Owen scored from a corner to make it 5-2.
Only two of the Scotland eleven would win a second cap that season (Thomson faced Ireland and Miller played against England) and most would never be selected again, including Watson, McKee and hat-trick hero Gillespie.
For Watson, indeed, this was almost his final football act. He gave up the game in the summer of 1898 and returned to Shotts, where he lived with his wife and a large family, employed as a hewer down the coal mine. It was heavy work which probably contributed to his early death of chronic bronchitis in 1929, aged 56.
The game drew a small crowd of around 3,500 to Fir Park, and they saw a comfortable victory for the home team. Scotland went four goals up, two from Gillespie and two from McKee, before the Welsh got one back just before half-time through the delightfully named Thomas Thomas. In the second half Gillespie completed his hat-trick and Morgan-Owen scored from a corner to make it 5-2.
Only two of the Scotland eleven would win a second cap that season (Thomson faced Ireland and Miller played against England) and most would never be selected again, including Watson, McKee and hat-trick hero Gillespie.
For Watson, indeed, this was almost his final football act. He gave up the game in the summer of 1898 and returned to Shotts, where he lived with his wife and a large family, employed as a hewer down the coal mine. It was heavy work which probably contributed to his early death of chronic bronchitis in 1929, aged 56.
James McKee pictured towards the end of his career at New Brompton (Gillingham)
McKee, however, had plenty to look forward to. He won the Scottish Qualifying Cup with East Stirlingshire and signed for Bolton Wanderers in 1900 where he was first choice centre forward. In three years he played 81 first division matches, scoring 19 goals, then joined Luton Town for a year, and spent two seasons at New Brompton (Gillingham). He retired from playing in 1906 and returned to Scotland, working as a miner in Harthill where he spent the rest of his life. He never married and was a keen supporter of the local junior team, Polkemmet.
McKee revealed his Irish birth in the Sunday Post of 29 March 1942 (British Newspaper Archive)
A few years before his death in 1949, McKee told the press that he was the only Irishman to have played for Scotland, but the remark does not seem to have been followed up.
Watson and McKee stand out as there were remarkably few exceptions to the requirement for Scotland players to be born in Scotland, apart from a few 'colonial' caps like Alex Bell (South Africa), Andrew Watson (Guyana) and Eadie Fraser and Joe Kennaway (both Canada).
In fact, in almost a hundred years between the formation of the Scottish FA in 1873 and the change to eligibility rules in 1971, there were only two other 'rest-of-UK' players. Willie Maley of Celtic, born in Newry, was capped twice in 1893 thanks to a Scottish family background. The other was Jimmy Wardhaugh of Hearts, who played twice for Scotland in the 1950s despite being born on the wrong side of the Berwickshire border.
This makes it all the more astonishing that two non-Scots played in the same match. There can be little doubt that neither Watson nor McKee would have been capped had the SFA selectors known they were 'foreign'.
Watson and McKee stand out as there were remarkably few exceptions to the requirement for Scotland players to be born in Scotland, apart from a few 'colonial' caps like Alex Bell (South Africa), Andrew Watson (Guyana) and Eadie Fraser and Joe Kennaway (both Canada).
In fact, in almost a hundred years between the formation of the Scottish FA in 1873 and the change to eligibility rules in 1971, there were only two other 'rest-of-UK' players. Willie Maley of Celtic, born in Newry, was capped twice in 1893 thanks to a Scottish family background. The other was Jimmy Wardhaugh of Hearts, who played twice for Scotland in the 1950s despite being born on the wrong side of the Berwickshire border.
This makes it all the more astonishing that two non-Scots played in the same match. There can be little doubt that neither Watson nor McKee would have been capped had the SFA selectors known they were 'foreign'.
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Author
All blog posts, unless stated, are written by Andy Mitchell.