Members Work

Articles and writing from Heritage Society members and contributors

The Making of ‘The Golden Vision’ for the BBC ‘Wednesday Play’

The Making of ‘The Golden Vision’ for the BBC ‘Wednesday Play’

Steve Zocek BBC Television once aired a weekly programme called the Wednesday Play. One particular episode was called The Golden Vision, which related to the Everton idol Alex Young. Many of the actors featured were well known performers from Liverpool, but the series was also notable for featuring complete unknowns, and people from ordinary walks of life with no acting experience whatsover, a technique deployed by director Ken Loach throughout his long career. The programme, aired on 17 April 1968, represented a fanatical bunch of Evertonians, who obsessively followed the Toffees. Nuneaton-born Ken Loach, was educated at St. Peter’s College,…
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This Prince of Goalkeepers – Lance Corporal Leigh Richmond Roose MM

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. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ https://youtu.be/qujY7HfXe6U Click to view Leigh Roose documentary on YouTube ____________________________________________________________________________________________ The Fallen of…
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Remembrance at Goodison Park 2025

Remembrance at Goodison Park 2025

Armistice Day Service, The Fallen of Everton FC Memorial, Goodison Park https://youtu.be/C1qileWUUcg Remembrance Day 2025 News Report (filmed and edited by Lewis Royden / all photographs by Mike Royden for Everton FC Heritage Society) Many thanks are due again to Paul Kelly of Everton FC Heritage Society (supported by his wife Jean), in organising the service, despite continued poor health – this is an event they have now organised with dedication for over a decade. The service was conducted by the Reverend Henry Corbett, Chaplain to Everton Football Club and Goodison Park. Henry is also a member of Everton FC Heritage Society.…
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The Fallen of Everton FC – Corporal Thomas Gracie

The Fallen of Everton FC – Corporal Thomas Gracie

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. A series of short biographical films about the players is ongoing and in…
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Khyber – The Ben Williams Story

Khyber – The Ben Williams Story

Rob Sawyer Ben Williams, Everton 1935 Everton FC can proudly boast a long and impressive list of footballers who have pulled on the famous red shirt of Wales. This cohort spans the eras, from the days of its joint-first professional, George Farmer in the 1880s and Charlie Parry in the first league title-winning side of 1890/91 to Neville Southall in the 1980s and Gary Speed a decade later.  George Farmer (1880s) Unsurprisingly, due to the geographical proximity, many of the Merseyside club’s Welshman have hailed from the north of the nation - like Leigh Roose, Tom Griffiths, Tommy G. Jones,…
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Frank (Carlo) Carlton  – From a Colt to a Saint

Frank (Carlo) Carlton  – From a Colt to a Saint

Richie Gillham A young Frank Carlton (courtesy of Joan Griffin, Ancestry.co.uk) Frank Carlton was born in Blackbrook, St Helens, in 1936, into a community where sport was at the heart of everyday life. Like many boys of his generation, his first taste of competition came on the school playing fields. At school, he quickly earned a reputation as a fleet-footed winger in the soccer team. He helped guide Blackbrook to the Windle Pilkington Shield final, one of the key competitions in local schoolboy football. When he moved on to Parr Central School, his athletic abilities flourished. In athletics he excelled…
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Joe Clennell – Twice a Champion

Joe Clennell – Twice a Champion

Rob Sawyer Joe Clennell (1915) Although Bobby Parker’s goalscoring exploits may have grabbed the headlines as the Toffees advanced on the Football League title in 1915 - a triumph largely overshadowed by the spectre of the First World War - he was but one member of a strong royal blue attacking line. Sam Chedgzoy, on the right wing, was near the start of a long and illustrious career for Everton and England, which extended into the Dixie Dean era. Frank Jefferis, at inside-right, had garnered England honours having moved to Merseyside from Southampton. George Harrison was a great provider of…
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Ted Forshaw – From Everton Youth Prodigy to Cup Hero via the Oval Ball

Ted Forshaw – From Everton Youth Prodigy to Cup Hero via the Oval Ball

Richie Gillham Ted Forshaw may not be a name known to Everton fans, but his story is one of remarkable versatility, resilience, and dedication across multiple disciplines. From the football pitches of Everton to the rugby fields of St Helens, and later to the athletics tracks of Merseyside, Forshaw’s journey is a testament to the enduring spirit of a true sportsman. Born on 26 October 1931, Forshaw began his football journey with Everton FC, signing on 25 March 1957, after scouts had spotted him playing for Sutton Manor Colliery FC. He had also been a keen rugby league player before…
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My Everton FC Initiatives

My Everton FC Initiatives

The second in a series of three films featuring the legacy of ‘Dr Everton.’ Presented by Chris Beesley / Filmed and edited by Lewis Royden Perhaps best known for The Everton Collection, David is the founder and driving force behind numerous initiatives related to Everton Football Club, such as Gwladys Street’s Hall of Fame since 1996, Everton Former Players’ Foundation since 1999, and Everton FC Heritage Society since 2008, to name just a few. These initiatives and many more are discussed here in fascinating detail, in a corner of that famous Goodison Road watering hole, the Winslow Hotel.  https://youtu.be/AxGFGiPsfKI 'My…
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Goodison Pigeon Post

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)…
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