Everton FC Heritage Society members were saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. John Rowlands at his home in Formby on 19 November at the age of eighty-three. John hailed from the north east of England, supporting Middlesbrough FC since 1946. He arrived on Merseyside, via a spell in London, in the 1970s, and worked in general practice in Maghull until retirement in 2002. He first saw Everton play at Goodison Park in 1971 and developed a great fondness of the club. A sports and local history enthusiast, he penned a number of books, including a biography of his…

Armistice Day Service, The Fallen of Everton FC Memorial, Goodison Park Many thanks again for all the work by Paul Kelly of Everton FC Heritage Society and his wife Jean in pulling things together for the commemoration event on 11 November 2022 - an event they have organised with dedication for several years. (photos: Mint Collective/Everton FC Heritage Society) Remembrance Fixture - Everton v Leicester City Richie Gillham, of Everton FC Heritage Society, in St Luke's with his brother, who was involved in the Goodison pre-match Remembrance ceremony Lest we Forget

Rob Sawyer Everton players waving prior to boarding their flight from Speke Airport In November, taking advantage of the 2022 World Cup-enforced break, Everton head to Australia on missionary work to spread the gospel of St Domingo. It will be the fourth occasion on which the Toffees have visited this great nation, but the trip pales into insignificance, duration-wise, when compared to the first tour, fifty-eight years ago. Immediately after the disappointing denouement of the 1963/64 season, in which Everton missed out on back-to-back league title wins, a slightly depleted squad jetted off to begin the most ambitious tour since…

The Everton FC Remembrance service is held every 11 November at the memorial wall near the Park End Stand. Organised by Everton FC Heritage Society (Paul Kelly supported by other members), and attended by representatives of the Club, plus participation by the local ministry, Everton in the Community, Everton Community School, aided by a piper and vocalist before members of the public. Memorial Plaque and Current List of the FallenIn 2011 a plaque in memory of men associated with the Everton clubs of England and Chile who lost their lives in both World Wars was erected near the Park End…

Download here: The Fallen booklet WWI and WW2 Remembrance Booklet(Written by Mike Royden & Peter Jones) November 2021 Update to the booklet William Reid/Reed (Everton FC WWII list) We have deleted the name of Lance Corporal William Reid. We cannot be sure at the moment that this is the right ID, as further research suggests he possibly survived as a PoW. Harry Churchill (Everton NZ list) Harry Churchill’s name has now been removed as it is now believed we have identified the wrong man. His initials were H G S, the footballer’s initial was W. – there are mentions of…

The next item in this series takes us to the USA to the Rideout residence. Paul Rideout, of course, will be remembered for his headed goal at Wembley in 1995 which brought the FA Cup to Merseyside. Sadly, no silverware has followed since that May afternoon, so his goal remains strong in the memory of Evertonians. Paul, it will be remembered, hit the ground running in the early days of his career when he started at Swindon Town and made his début at the tender age of sixteen, becoming the youngest player to feature for the Robins. Paul penned a…

In previous articles published on this website, I focused on the other sporting side of Everton's history regarding sports, such as baseball and basketball. There have also been healthy links between Everton FC and cricket and the Olympics. Even American Football was reported to have been played at Goodison, highlighted in an article (1) by Pete Jones. My article below focuses on both Rugby codes played at Goodison Park. [1. Jones, Pete, 'Gridiron at Goodison', Everton FC Matchday Programme, Everton v Atalanta (Europa League, 23 November 2017) ]. 1908 - Kangaroos Rugby League Tourists Squad The Everton FC Board Minutes…

by Rob Sawyer and Pete Jones A contemporary cigarette card of Tommy Fleetwood It’s always good to see fellow blues doing well. Have a look at Toffeeweb’s section on celebrity fans; it’s an informative and amusing mixture of the nailed on, the apocryphal, and the downright dodgy. We have amongst our number an Oscar winner in Dame Judi Dench, star of stage, screen and the Moneysupermarket ads. She owes her allegiance to her late husband Michael Williams, although she did appear in Z-Cars in 1963, when John Moores’ ‘Mersey Millionaires’ were reigning League Champions. Another showbiz multi-award winning blue is…

NB This article was due to appear in the Everton v Tottenham Hotspur Remembrance Day fixture of 7 November 2021. Unfortunately, due to the sad death of former manager Walter Smith, it was held over for his memorial article due to lack of space. It is reprinted in full below. Corporal 19024 Tom Gracie, 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Edinburgh) The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) The Life of Tom Gracie Among the names of the Fallen of Everton FC featured on the panels by the Dixie Dean statue is Tom Gracie. Born in Glasgow in 1899, he was a qualified bookkeeper,…

by Rob Sawyer ‘He played anywhere readily and played well anywhere. No Everton player has left Evertonians with a more fragrant memory.’ Thomas Keates (1928) Portrait of Jack during his playing days There must have been something in the water in Dunbartonshire in the second half of the 19th century. Between 1889 and 1897, six footballers with strong connections to the Clydeside town of Dumbarton represented the Toffees. First there was Alex Latta, followed by Richard ‘Dickie’ Boyle, Abe Hartley and the Bell brothers (John and Laurie). But only one, John ‘Jack’ Taylor, would get his hands on silverware whilst…