Octopus of Odstock

Another recent passing is Tommy Forgan - https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/18105039.legendary-york-city-keeper-tommy-forgan-passes-away-aged-90/

David Mathers died in 2014 - https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?firstname=david cochrane&firstname_variants=true&lastname=mathers&sourcecountry=great britain

Never played in the football league but Manchester United count their oldest living player as 98 year old Jack White - Apparently played a couple of games for them during the War.

Dudley Kernick died a couple of weeks back at 98 - https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-commercial-dudley-kernick-3654035

And even more astonishing is that Alan Rollinson, as nice a bloke he was, DID get a mention. He was a non-qualifier, yet the man who designed numerous successful racing cars AND was Oxford United's chairman didn't get a mention in either. None of the other motor racing drivers who died in 2019 would've got anything from the BBC but Herd was the big miss there.

Bill Simpson, former Indycar driver and safety pioneer has died after suffering a stroke last week. https://m.facebook.com/story/graphql_permalink/?graphql_id=UzpfSTEwMjQ4OTY0MTQ6Vks6NDMxNTkxNjk3Nzg0MTAz

Tom Belso gravely ill with stomach cancer. Chances of 2020 death, 100 per cent. Chances of obit about 20 per cent.

I concur with Philip. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/shane-macgowan-defends-controversial-lyric-21105227.amp

She's died at the Grand old age of 100. Tom Tom Telekom had posted the news in Hollywood Possibilities but not in her own thread for some reason. Condolences to her family, some of whom posted on this thread.

Can't be many Band of Brothers left now - Roderick Strohl has gone. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/mcall/194627368 There used a Wikipedia page of the surviving Veterans but I haven't seen anything recently of who might be left. Edward Shames I think and maybe a few others.

A few passings I haven't seen covered on here whose announcement was some time after their death: Dianne Foster died in August - http://westernboothill.blogspot.com/2019/12/rip-dianne-foster.html I remember her best from her very good performance in Night Passage but her roles were quite varied and extensive - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Foster Jim McMullan. also in many a Western, also died in the Summer - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jim-mcmullan-dead-actor-dallas-downhill-racer-was-82-1216178

Not often mentioned here is Nehemiah Persoff. Now 100 years of age, he's certainly famous enough. But his thread - like so many mentioned here isn't likely to be very exciting with just birthdays and his death to enliven it. But then Perez de Cuellar and Cardin and others are like that. Depends whether stimulating threads are important or hitting a record. I certainly think Everton Weekes should be on. Tom Smith has to go on. Both are good enough for DL.

Another 10 off the list (all of those that were dubious if they were alive anyway), with the 2nd oldest player on the list now definitely gone. Sammy Nelson has only just gone, just shy of his 95th birthday. Poor old Frank Wood, far from being 95, died in his very early 50's. Joe McCormack 15/07/1916 Scunthorpe, Boston, Rochdale, Bolton 1981 Ron James 16/03/1922 Birmingham, Wolves, Northampton 2017 David Reid 03/01/1923 Crewe, Workington, Bradford PA, Rochdale, Glasgow Perthshire 16/02/1988 James Clarke 07/12/1923 Nottingham Forest, Darlaston 12/12/2014 Sammy Nelson 26/05/1924 Blackpool, Luton, Linfield Swifts 15/04/2019 Frank Wood 17/08/1924 Bury, Exeter, Shrewsbury 1976 Fred Martin 14/04/1925 Accrington, Blackburn 2017 Ernie Woodcock 14/05/1925 Bury, Oldham 2018 Albert Wright 21/07/1925 Lincoln, Ollerton Colliery 2008 Billy Dale 26/10/1925 Crewe, Accrington, Southport, Halifax 26/11/2011

On what is realistically the last search I'll do in 2019 a whole swathe of deaths found: Stan Carr Death: 26/04/1994 Edmonton Edmonton Alberta Canada Dougald Campbell Birth 14/12/1922 Kirkintilloch Scotland Death 09/04/1996 Ernie Whittam: Death: 16/03/2012 Rotherham Yorkshire England Name Alan John Moxley Short Birth Sep-28 Death 2000 Name Mr Dennis Trevor Winterbottom Birth 23/10/1928 Death 01/10/2002 Residence Glossop Derbyshire England Donald Simon Colombo Birth: 26/10/1928 Poplar Blackwall London England Death: 28/09/2017 Healesville Victoria Australia Residence: 1977 Chelsea Victoria Australia

Never played in the football league, but one of the oldest living footballers is Glentoran's Bertie Wright - 100 years old: https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/glentoran-hero-bertie-wright-celebrates-17145318 Gordon Astall - a full spread by the Daily Mail, physically he looks well - he has dementia though https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7668571/His-mind-grip-dementia-Astalls-eyes-light-mention-debut.html Another source that says Royden Wood is the oldest Leeds player (Scott did play in goal so I do think the other three mentioned above are dead as they are all outfield and surely someone would've brought at least one of them up) - https://theathletic.co.uk/1282784/2019/10/14/the-player-who-shared-a-dressing-room-with-stanley-matthews-and-the-beatles/ and finally a nice article on Bert Mozley - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/poignant-tale-of-bert-mozley-england-s-oldest-player-7gfljx9mr

Thanks Toast! Obviously no full date of birth makes it tricky to be certain we have the right man but these two have definitely gone, both in the last year. DICKENS, LEO 1927 GRO Reference: DOR Q1/2019 in Wakefield (097-1A) Entry Number 518647755 ex-Chester and Rotherham ELLIOTT, FREDERICK FRANCIS George 1929 GRO Reference: DOR Q4/2018 in Carmarthenshire (822-1A) Entry Number 518226801 ex Mansfield, Fulham, Stoke, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil

As the wonderful findmypast site is free of charge and as they have the 2007-2017 deaths available, I've been able to strike a couple more off the list. Len Kane (1926) - ex Preston, Plymouth who was alive in 2010, died in 2011 - https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=BMD%2FD%2FMILLEN%2F002133997 Also gone: Tom Mason (1925) ex Hartlepool It also increases the chances - so long as they live in the UK - of some of the rarer names being alive as they're not on any death record from 1911-2017.

Norbert Eder, West German defender who played all of their 1986 campaign, including the final has died: https://www.google.com/amp/s/fcbayern.com/en/amp/news/2019/11/fc-bayern-mourns-the-passing-of-norbert-eder

Gordon Astall, although Bill Holmes represented Great Britain internationally.

Yep, because Portsmouth were adamant Leather was the oldest and all others were dead when McGhee died. Good, I'll amend the list

Okay after looking at the list of cities in England it can only be one of Lichfield Ripon Westminster All the others have a non-league team I've heard of.

I think it might be Salisbury. Were much higher up the pyramid but had financial issues so mightve been demoted?

And Ben and Holly - he's the Wise Old Elf

Leeds United have just celebrated their 100th birthday and as a result have found their oldest player - Royden Wood, who is NOT in the above list, having just turned 89. - https://www.thesquareball.net/leeds-united/leeds-united-1-0-birmingham-city-100-chances/ I'd say this is quite accurate because they've clearly gone to lengths to make sure they could find their oldest. So of those on the list that actually played for Leeds it appears to remove * (Yes, I know there's nothing certain but there's a difference between a blog post that says "believed" even if it is linked to the site and the club inviting its oldest player to a gala dinner), Frank Taylor (1923) Jock Finlay (1925) Ralph Harrison (1926) George Miller (1927) However I think John Scott (1928) is still alive. He played 111 times for Leeds and is listed as a past president here (it is the same man if you Google - https://www.cumbria-golf-union.org.uk/executives). So was it that Scott couldn't attend and actually Wood was the oldest who could? Because that changes the whole situation. FWIW, I think Taylor is likely dead, so I'll mark him as red. Miller emigrated back to South Africa so we may not know for a while if he's still alive. The other two didn't really have long careers there so could quite easily also be gone so they're all marked as red. If it wasnt for Scott, I'd be more inclined to go for certainty with the above report. Ernie Whittam, Brian Woodward and Jimmy Forrest never played a league game for Leeds but were on their books.

For me, she should be in the famous Belgians thread and no other.