Victorian Roots: 'Windsorian' Blossoming

[anthony.brown]

When the 'first' Hitchin Football Club was born on 24th November 1865, Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert was less than 6 months old. At the birth of the 'third' Hitchin Club in 1928 Prince George (now King George V) had been King for 18 years. So what you may say. I have just been reading the history of the club since 1928 on our website, and the author deserves top marks for his/her description of this period of our history.
Researching the hierarchy of the club in 1928/29, I realised that all the main movers running the Club were born in the Victorian period. No surprise there, as most of the founding members were well-established business leaders. The playing members were of course younger, mainly Edwardians.
If anyone is interested I will give brief details of some of those involved, from President to Committee members.

I'll start with the Club President, best known for saving Bancroft Rec from developers.
Harry Cannon (1867-1947) Wholesale and Manufacturing Confectioner. J.P. Urban and County Councillor. Guarantor of Hitchin Town FC.
Father of legendary 'keeper 'Tiddler' Cannon and of Harry Metcalfe Cannon, a committee member.

Leonard (Len) Stokes Hart (1881-1975), Chairman. Schoolmaster at Hitchin British School, Queen Street. Referee. Secretary of North Herts FA.

Francis Orlando Foster (1888-1967), Committee Member. Building Contractor.

Matthew Foster (1882-1967), Committee Member. Building Contractor. Brother of Francis Orlando Foster.

Ernest Robert Allen (1891-1950), Committee Member. Painter & Decorator. Was he the 'Bob' Allen who managed the team?

William James Charles Allen (1881-1939), Committee Member. Builder and Undertaker.

Stanley Lee (1899-1986), Supporters' Club Chairman. Electrical Engineer. Secretary of North Herts Conservative Association. Assistant Secretary Hitchin Debating Society. Secretary of Walsworth Bowls Club. Hitchin M.P. Major Guy Kindersley attended his wedding.

Charles Worbey (1879-1957), Committee Member. Market Gardener. Town Councillor. A player for Hitchin Town FC and the Hertfordshire County team in the early years of the 20th Century. A talented full-back. A great believer in having only local players in the Town team. At the age of 51 he played in a charity match, Club Committee v Supporters' Club.

Thomas Brooker (Junior) (1879-1936), Committee Member. Iron Monger. Son of the Company's founder, Thomas Brooker (Senior).

Albert Victor Duller (1889-1976), Committee Member. Timber & Builder's Merchant. Brother of Hitchin FC player 'Sinji' Duller.

Arthur Oswald Impey (1875-1942), Committee Member. Company Director (Chemicals).

Arthur Edward Lloyd (1887-1982), Committee Member. Local Government Officer. Herts CC Relieving Officer. Registrar of births and deaths, etc.

Algernon ('Algy') Charles Grimes (1888-1968), Committee Member. Foreman bricklayer. Brother of James Robert Grimes and player 'Curly' Grimes.

James Robert Grimes (1889-1934), Committee Member. Bricklayer. Brother of 'Algy' and 'Curly'.

Harry Metcalfe Cannon (1896-1966), Committee Member. Traveller for his family's confectionery business. Son of Harry Cannon, Club President.

Bernard James Sells (1898-1974), Committee Member. Printer's Accountant.

William Mann (1881-1969), Committee Member. Clerk in Accountant's Department GNR, Kings Cross.

Henry Walter Mayer King (1894-1976), Committee Member. Mechanical Engineer.

Thomas Wooding (1885-1973), Committee Member. Chief Audit Clerk (Railway). He wrote Hitchin football news and notes under the name 'Sparbed' for the Hertfordshire Express (1928-1930).

If anyone spots any errors of identification etc. or can expand on my notes please let me know. There will be errors and omissions, no doubt.

[RST]

Fascinating stuff Anthony

[anthony.brown]

Willson Haydn Gatward (30 Jan 1901-17 Jul 1960) Watchmaker & jeweller of 20, Market Place, Hitchin was the 1928 Club's first captain. He played just two matches before injury curtailed his HTFC career.
He was able to continue playing tennis and participate in local amateur dramatics, while running the family business, before he died at the early age of 59 at the Royal Masonic Hospital.

Next to take on the captaincy was Ted Bullard, then Cecil Burges, Ben Saggers, and Stan Faulkner. I'll add further details if anyone is interested.

[anthony.brown]

Other early captains:
Cecil Edward Burges (7 Dec 1900-18 Dec 1980) An auctioneer's clerk. Lived close to Top Field. Nickname Budger or Budget.
Stanley Walter Frank Burden (13 Jan 1906-4 Oct 1986) A headmaster of Watford schools, he lived in Watford.
Philip Edwin Chamberlain (5 Mar 1910-4 Jul 1953) An engineering fitter from Pirton. Later lived in Kershaws Hill, Hitchin.

Ben Saggars (or Saggers): Was he James Benjamin Saggers (22 Sep 1899-cJan 1960) ??? If so, he was a Walkern born bricklayer who later lived in Letchworth.

Edward Bullard: Was he Edward William Bullard (8 Sep 1899- 7 Apr 1968) ??? Stood in as captain in an early match. If so he was a Hitchin-born player who lived in Old Park Road, close to Top Field.