1900-1909 – Everton FC Heritage Society

Private David Bruce Murray – A First World War Casualty Who Crossed the Park

20

Oct

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1900-1909, 1910-1919, Latest, Mike Royden, Obituary, Players, Rest in Peace, WW1

Private David Bruce Murray – A First World War Casualty Who Crossed the Park

Mike Royden . Private David Bruce Murray (1882-1915) S/3845 11th (Service) Battalion, Princess Louise’s, (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) David Bruce Murray David Bruce Murray may not be a name familiar to most Everton fans, but what he does have in common with several more legendary players, such as Johnny Morrissey, Kevin Sheedy and Peter Beardsley, is that he is on that rather short list of players who have crossed the Park to play for both clubs. David Murray was born on 4 December 1882 in Busby, East Renfrewshire, south of Glasgow, to Janet Robertson Bruce, aged twenty nine, and…

Scouse Supremacy: Liverpool, Everton and the story of the 1905/06 Season

08

Oct

By Rob Sawyer

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1900-1909, Books, Latest, Rob Sawyer

Scouse Supremacy: Liverpool, Everton and the story of the 1905/06 Season

A new book by Kieran Smith Rob Sawyer Writing a book on football that crosses the Blue-Red sporting divide is no simple task, hence relatively few books have catered for both sets of fans (exceptions include Three Sides of the Mersey, Two Tribes, and Crossing The Park). It’s a task Kieran Smith set himself with Scouse Supremacy (Pitch Publishing, 2026), which tells the story of the 1905/06 season, in which the two Merseyside giants dominated domestic football. An Associate Member of Everton FC Heritage Society, Kieran is a Liverpool supporter who maintains a healthy respect for the Red/Blue rivalry. Accordingly,…

George ‘Bumper’ Clarkson: An Original Original

03

Oct

By Jamie Yates

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1878-1889, 1890-1899, 1900-1909, 1910-1919, 1920-1929, 1930-1939, 1940-1949, 1950-1959, Jamie Yates, Latest

George ‘Bumper’ Clarkson: An Original Original

Everton superfan, shareholder, unofficial official and arguably Everton's oldest ever player and goalscorer! Our story begins with a curious little column, part of a series written by the esteemed Liverpool Echo sportswriter Ernest ‘Bee’ Edwards and published on page six of the newspaper, on Saturday, 20 October 1934. The text is accompanied by cartoonist Allason Moscrop’s detailed caricature of Clarkson, resplendent in coat and hat with signature chrysanthemum on his lapel. It reads as follows: Caricature of George Clarkson from Ernest Edwards’ nostalgic series ‘The Salt of the Soccer Crowd’ - Liverpool Echo, 20 October 1934 ‘Here’s one of the…

This Prince of Goalkeepers – Lance Corporal Leigh Richmond Roose MM

11

Jun

By Mike Royden

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1900-1909, 1910-1919, Film and Media, Latest, Lewis Royden, Mike Royden, Rest in Peace, WW1

This Prince of Goalkeepers – Lance Corporal Leigh Richmond Roose MM

A great deal of research has been carried out by a number of members since the founding of the society, into players on Everton FC books who fell in both wars. This research has also been extended to include the Everton clubs of Chile and New Zealand. In addition, there has also been an ongoing project to research those who had served, but had survived, and in many cases were deeply affected by the conflict, who were never the same again, being affected both physically and mentally. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ The Fallen of Everton FC on Film Our series of films about the…

02

Feb

By Mike Royden

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1878-1889, 1890-1899, 1900-1909, Articles, Goodison, Latest, Mike Royden

George and Annie Jane Goodison

Towards the Foundation of a Stadium, and how Classical Egypt came to Waterloo Mike Royden The name ‘Goodison Park’ has always had a touch of class about it, but it so easily could have been called ‘Mere Green’ or possibly ‘Walton Stiles’: Mere Green being the land leased (and later purchased) for the new Everton FC stadium, and Walton Stiles being the ancient footpath that once ran from the Walton Church area, approximately along what is now Goodison Road, down Spellow Lane and on to County Road. But where did the name originate, and how did it become the name…

21

Sep

By Ken Rogers

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1900-1909, Articles, Goodison, Ken Rogers, Latest

Goodison Pigeon Post

By Ken Rogers Historian Simon Inglis, in his book ‘Football Grounds of Britain,’ observes that clubs often achieve prominence by luck rather than design, while the very being of some has been determined by ground developments. He was specifically referring to Everton and their historic 1892 Goodison Park home, stating that the Mersey Blues can rightly claim to have built England’s first major football ground with many firsts along the way. Wolves opened Molineux three years earlier, but it was relatively basic, as was Newcastle’s St James’ Park. The only British grounds as advanced as Goodison were Rangers’ Ibrox (1887)…

The Toffees Return Home to Anfield – For One night Only

18

Sep

By Rob Sawyer

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1900-1909, Articles, Goodison, Latest, Rob Sawyer

The Toffees Return Home to Anfield – For One night Only

Rob Sawyer Everton FC left Anfield in 1892, never to return. Right? Well, not quite. The schism in the Everton committee that led the Toffees to up sticks to Goodison Park on the site of Mere Green Field, leaving John Houlding to form a new club, Liverpool FC, to play at the vacated ground is well documented. However, by the time Houlding passed away in 1902, much of the antagonism had abated, and Everton players were among the pall bearers at his funeral. Further evidence of the thawing of relations between the once bitter rivals came in the summer of…

The Life and Sporting Career of Robert ‘George’ Pilch

30

Oct

By Richie Gillham

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1900-1909, Articles, Players, Richard Gillham

The Life and Sporting Career of Robert ‘George’ Pilch

Richie Gillham Early Life and Football Beginnings Robert 'George' Pilch (Photo: Bob Goodwin, 'The Spurs Alphabet: Complete Who's Who of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.' (1992) ) Robert Pilch, more commonly known by his middle name George, was born on 12 October 1877 in Holt, Norfolk. From a young age, George showcased his athletic prowess, particularly in football. Although born into a family with a rich cricketing heritage (his great-uncle, Fuller Pilch, was a legendary cricketer), George focused on football. His father was also heavily involved in sports, organising the Norwich Church of England Young Men’s Society (CEYMS) ground. This family background…

The Brief History of A.F.C Everton of Auckland, New Zealand 1907-1922

25

Sep

By Richie Gillham

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1900-1909, Articles, Everton Clubs Abroad, New Zealand, Richard Gillham

The Brief History of A.F.C Everton of Auckland, New Zealand 1907-1922

Part I: 1907-1908 Richie Gillham The first reports of a team in Auckland, New Zealand called Everton, appeared in the first decade of the twentieth century, but the club was only in existence for a short period before a second Everton team would be formed in Auckland in 1911. The Auckland Football Association was founded in 1887, following the formation of several football clubs, but it would not be into the next century before Everton Auckland would become part of the organisation. The roots of the club lay in church football, just as it did for Everton FC and St Domingo.…

The Day George Robey Brought Show Business to Goodison Park

26

Mar

By Rob Sawyer

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1900-1909, 1910-1919, Articles, Latest, Rob Sawyer

The Day George Robey Brought Show Business to Goodison Park

George Robey in his late 60s - National Portrait Gallery Football and showbiz have been bedfellows since the early days of the sport. Before the dawn of the 20th Century, theatrical matches were staged at Everton’s ground. In the 1920s, Jack Cock combined spearheading the Blues attack with treading the boards in music hall, subsequently trying his hand at movie acting. In 1968, the Golden Vision play, screened on the BBC, immortalised Alex Young on celluloid. More recently, the Toffees’ late chairman, Bill Kenwright, was a successful and high-profile impresario in the world of theatre. Other football clubs have, of…