Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted September 29, 2019 I've done this as a separate topic from the Time Added thread, because the Time Added thread is very catch-all, as a football thread will be. I can only go by the English Football League, as I don't have access to the Scottish records, but hopefully someone can copy and paste the Scottish only players for reference here. There are a number of people definitely alive and they come in the first set of information. Of those that I'm not certain of, there will definitely be some alive but there's no report recently on them to confirm that, or no general "oldest player" posts or snippets on the web. Barry Hugman's Footballers was the backup source for the list and basically it's been going through Google, BHF, UK and Ireland Family Records, Scottish Death Indexes and Probate searches to eliminate other possibilities. Some footballers I couldn't find death records for but when some clubs have gone "such and such is our oldest player" then it's made life easier. Here's the edited to include 1930-1932 births: First Name Surname DoB Clubs Google Other names Graham Bailey 22/03/1920 Huddersfield, Sheff Utd alive Thomas Graham Mike Kelly 30/11/1920 Crewe, Wolves x Michael John Eric Hampson 11/11/1921 Stoke, Stafford Rangers Australia? Syd Ward 26/11/1923 Bradford, Upton Colliery x John Taylor 24/06/1924 Bradford, Kilmarnock d. Canada? 1997 James Kelly 16/02/1925 Carlisle, Tottenham, Glenavon x James Patrick Ted Harding 05/04/1925 Crystal P, Coalville x Edward James Bill Mellor 29/06/1925 Accrington, Droyslden probably dead William Bill Parker 15/08/1925 Reading, Swindon, Exeter x Eryk Kubicki 18/08/1925 York, Polish Army x Eugeniusz Joe Lancaster 28/04/1926 Accrington, Manchester United alive Joseph Gerard Ray McKee 16/06/1926 Northampton, Finchley alive Raymond Trevor Eddie Lewis 21/06/1926 Leyton O x Trevor Hitchen 25/09/1926 Southport, Wigan, Oldham, Notts Cty, Wellington, Halifax alive Ken Williams 07/01/1927 York, Doncaster x Gordon Revel 19/09/1927 Mansfield alive in 2004 Gordon Harold Robert Williams 25/10/1927 Liverpool, Shrewsbury, Wrexham x Robert Raymond Bobby Godwin 03/02/1928 Swindon, Old Headlandians alive Robert Geoffrey Charles Campbell 27/02/1928 Oldham, Rutherglen Glencairn x Reg Chapman 14/06/1928 Crewe, Hereford x John Scott 18/07/1928 Leeds, Workington alive John Alfred Dick Taylor 21/08/1928 Southport, Everton alive Richard Marshall Bernard Kelly 21/08/1928 Brentford, Bath City d. 2007? Bernard Alexander Harry Jarvis 08/10/1928 Notts County, Worksop alive Alan Layton 27/11/1928 Barrow, Bolton Alive in 2012, Canada Cecil Steeds 11/01/1929 Bristol City, Bristol Rovers alive Harry Williams 24/02/1929 Swindon, Bury, West Ham, Man U x Henry George John Core 29/03/1929 Halifax alive Joe Harris 08/04/1929 Oldham, Blackburn x Ernie Bond 04/05/1929 Carlisle, Man Utd alive James Ernest Don Gibson 12/05/1929 Leyton O, Sheff W, Man U alive Thomas Richard Donald Ron Steel 03/06/1929 Darlington, Bishop Auckland x John Cook 26/06/1929 Bristol Rovers x John Albert Roy Killin 18/07/1929 Lincoln, Man U alive Harold Roy Terry Robinson 08/11/1929 Brentford, Northampton, England Amateur alive Johnny Langland 09/11/1929 hartlepool, Blyth, Chesterfield, Sunderland, Silksworth alive Tommy Banks 10/11/1929 Bolton, England alive Liam Coll 16/12/1929 Accrington probably dead William Sean Johnny Moffatt 22/12/1929 Brighton, Bellshill x John Black Ron Harbertson 23/12/1929 Lincoln, Darlington, Wrexham, Grimsby, Bradford, Brighton, Newcastle alive Jim Storey 30/12/1929 Darlington, Rochdale, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Exeter x Eric Marsden 03/01/1930 Crystal Palace, Southend, Winchester, Shrewsbury alive in 2020 Reg Pearce 12/01/1930 Peterborough, Sunderland, Luton alive Reginald Stanley Fred Higgins 21/01/1930 Crystal Palace GRO OKAY Frederick Thomas Albert Uytenboogaardt 05/03/1930 Charlton alive in RSA Albert George Cecil Law 10/03/1930 Derby, Bury GRO OKAY probably dead in RSA Cecil Richard Jack Hobbs 17/04/1930 Bournemouth, Swanage GRO OKAY John Eric Ray Woods 27/04/1930 Crystal Palace, Southend, Peterborough prob dead Len Edwards 30/05/1930 Crewe, Brighton, Sheff W, Wrexham GRO OKAY Leonard Owen Doug Fletcher 17/09/1930 Scunthorpe, Bury, Sheffield Weds, Darlington, Halifax Albert Childs 25/09/1930 Liverpool alive Albert Robert Allan Senior 29/09/1930 Halifax GRO OKAY Allan Gordon Colin McDonald 15/10/1930 Burnley and England alive Colin Agnew Eric Gill 03/11/1930 Brighton, Charlton alive Eric Norman Peter Higham 08/11/1930 Bolton, Doncaster, Nottm Forest, Preston, Portsmouth, Wigan alive Tommy Derbyshire 10/12/1930 Hartlepool, East Yorks Regiment Thomas L Robert Harrison 23/12/1930 Carlisle, Stockport, Mossley Bert Carberry 16/01/1931 Gillingham, Port Vale, Norwich, Exeter Robert Laurie Adams 14/02/1931 Watford Laurence Edward Arthur Tyrer 25/02/1931 Aldershot, Shrewsbury, Leeds Utd alive Arthur Spencer Matt Gemmell 10/03/1931 Portsmouth, Swindon Alex Bell 13/03/1931 Exeter, Grimsby, Partick Alexander Stewart Jimmy Thomson 17/03/1931 Southend, Raith alive Bridge of Allan c. 2017 James Donaldson Ralph Granville 23/04/1931 Clyde, Nottingham Forest, Gateshead alive in 2005 in Scotland? Anthony Ralph Dennis Churms 08/05/1931 Coventry, Exeter, Rotherham alive Dennis John Tommy Wilkinson 08/05/1931 Hartlepool, Blackhall Colliery David McDonald 09/05/1931 Crystal Palace, Dundee Violet David Anderson Joe Eaton 16/05/1931 Mansfield, Langwith BC GRO OKAY Joseph David Willie McInnes 20/05/1931 Southport, Accrington alive William Devlin 30/05/1931 Carlisle, Peterborough John Robert Eric Jones 23/06/1931 Accrington, Southport, Doncaster, Preston, Nottm Forest alive Brian Cripsey 26/06/1931 Hull City, Wrexham alive Brian Samuel Ron Stockin 27/06/1931 Cardiff, Grimsby, Walsall, Wolves alive Mick Cullen 31/07/1931 Derby, Grimsby, Luton, Scotland alive Michael Joseph David Hawkins 11/08/1931 Gillingham, Sheppey United GRO OKAY David John Ken Scott 13/08/1931 Derby, Mansfield Don Cowan 17/08/1931 Darlington GRO OKAY, alive 2021 Bill Finney 05/09/1931 Rochdale, Crewe, QPR, Birmingham, Stoke Charles William Thomas Billy Waters 19/09/1931 Millwall, Wrexham, Swansea, Southend, Stoke, Blackpool GRO OKAY, alive 2010 in wales William Anthony Des Palmer 23/09/1931 Swansea, Wales, Liverpool, Derby alive in Australia Desmond Frederick Charlie Calow 30/09/1931 Bradford PA, Cliftonville GRO OKAY/alive 2020 Charles John Herbert Brian Makepeace 06/10/1931 Doncaster alive Gerry Smyth 05/11/1931 Chester, Cardiff Bert Harris 21/11/1931 Everton, Tranmere, Southport alive Albert Edward Ken Jenkin 27/11/1931 Grimsby alive Noel Gilbert 25/12/1931 Norwich City alive Len Roe 11/01/1932 Brentford, Ruislip Manor alive in 2014 Maurice Leonard George Brown 12/01/1932 Crewe, Stenhousemuir Bill Leivers 29/01/1932 Doncaster, Manchester City, Chesterfield alive William Ernest Joe Sharman 02/02/1932 Derby, Gresley, Bradford alive (Joseph) Donald William John McTavish 02/02/1932 Manchester City John Robert Byron Davies 05/02/1932 Newport, Leeds alive in 2017 Jimmy Rolfe 08/02/1932 Crewe, Barrow, Chester, Liverpool alive in 2017 Pat Thompson 11/02/1932 Brighton, Topsham Patrick Alfred Neil Langman 21/02/1932 Plymouth, Colchester, Bath alive Bobby Seith 09/03/1932 Burnley, Dundee alive Dave Richardson 11/03/1932 Barrow, Swindon, Grimsby, Leicester alive in 2017 Ray Snowball 16/03/1932 Darlington alive Alan Gee 16/03/1932 Rotherham John McGrath 21/03/1932 Notts County, Darlington prob dead Tommy Quigley 26/03/1932 QPR, Portsmouth, Barry Town Thomas Cook Calvin Symonds 29/03/1932 Rochdale, Bermuda alive Roderick Calvin Hilgrove Ron Ward 29/03/1932 Darlington, Tottenham Henry Ronald Jimmy Walker 29/03/1932 Northern Ireland, Doncaster, Linfield Eric Doughty 09/04/1932 Arsenal, Plymouth alive Keith Abbiss 26/04/1932 Brighton, Letchworth Keith Douglas Ken Smales 03/05/1932 Hull alive Peter Rees 05/05/1932 Tranmere alive Peter Noel Peter Smith 06/05/1932 Gillingham, Fleetland Peter John Robert Scrugham 15/05/1932 Workington, Cleaton Moor alive Ray DeGruchy 18/05/1932 Grimsby, Chesterfield, Nottm Forest alive Raymond Philip Roy Vairey 10/06/1932 Stockport Roy Henry Colin Bettany 15/06/1932 Torquay, Birmingham, Crewe alive Colin David Arthur Barnard 20/06/1932 Bolton,Stockport, Southport alive Robert Bloor 08/07/1932 Crewe Ron Tulloch 15/07/1932 Berea, South Africa, Hull Roland Ray Hampson 27/07/1932 Reading, Bournemouth, Manchester United, Aldershot alivein 2015 Raymond Geoffrey Johnny King 09/08/1932 Crewe, Stoke, Cardiff alive John William Gordon Davies 04/09/1932 Southport, Manchester City, Chester Micky Stewart 16/09/1932 Charlton, Corinthian Casuals alive Michael James Jim Lovie 19/09/1932 Peterhead, Bury, Bournemouth, Chesterfield alive in 2013 James Theirs Harrison Joe Thomas 22/09/1932 Barnsley, Wolves, Mansfield, Chesterfield John Charles Terry Medwin 25/09/1932 Tottenham, Swansea alive Wales Jack Harrison 30/09/1932 Crewe Colin Askey 03/10/1932 Mansfield, Walsall, Port Vale alive Harry Sandys 08/10/1932 Torquay, Yeovil Harold Albert Norman Crickett 13/10/1932 Carlisle, Raffles Rovers alive Peter Thomas 18/10/1932 Exeter, Cardiff, Newport Peter John Tommy Clish 19/10/1932 West Ham, Darlington alive 2010 Thomas Partridge Gordon Jago 22/10/1932 Charlton alive Gordon Harold Jimmy Belcher 31/10/1932 Brentford, Ipswich, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Leyton Orient alive in 2015, Dagenham James Alfred Reg Tapley 02/11/1932 Crewe, Rochdale alive in 2010 Stan Taylor 17/11/1932 Southport Ronnie Sharp 22/11/1932 Doncaster, Arbroath Bobby Williams 24/11/1932 New Brighton, Chester Robert Francis Ronnie Waldock 06/12/1932 Sheff Utd, Gillingham, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, Scunthorpe, Coventry alive Richard Jackson 13/12/1932 Rotherham, York Richard George Mike Tomkys 14/12/1932 QPR, Fulham alive Michael George Tommy Cronin 17/12/1932 Reading, Fulham Thomas Patrick Bernard Weakley 20/12/1932 Rotherham alive in 2010 Derek McLean 21/12/1932 Hartlepool, Middlesbrough alivr John Derek 5 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maryportfuncity 10,013 Posted September 29, 2019 Awesome work OoO - much respect. Ironic in a way that these players have outlived the Football League lives of some of the clubs they played for. Seems unlikely we'll see the likes of Barrow, Workington, Chester, Bradford PA or Southport back in the league any day soon, though Barrow have lately hauled themselves into play-off contention for the National League 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebless 202 Posted October 3, 2019 Report on William Simpson's 100th birthday. https://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/people/former-professional-football-player-turns-100-1-10032424 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulitzer95 11,021 Posted October 5, 2019 Jack Vitty is a weird one. Wikipedia uses the Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database to give a DOB as 19/1/1923. However, this Ancestry tree says he was born in 1926 and died in 2001. At the bottom it mentions he was a professional footballer for Charlton and Brighton. Further add to the confusion this article from 2016 that has a recent picture of him and says he's 72 (typo? should it have said 92? or is it a rehashed old article?). Very puzzling. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cat O'Falk 3,287 Posted October 5, 2019 3 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said: Jack Vitty is a weird one. Wikipedia uses the Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database to give a DOB as 19/1/1923. However, this Ancestry tree says he was born in 1926 and died in 2001. At the bottom it mentions he was a professional footballer for Charlton and Brighton. Further add to the confusion this article from 2016 that has a recent picture of him and says he's 72 (typo? should it have said 92? or is it a rehashed old article?). Very puzzling. It's a safe bet he was born in January 1923. The government's General Records Office list an entry registered in Sedgefield, just down the road from Chilton. The Ancestry tree is most likely someone put two and two together during their research and came up with five. There was a John Vitty born in Gateshead in 1926 who probably died in 2001. Our guy is very much alive in 2016. The Chronical editorial age is just a copy and paste error; I found a rehash of the story dated a year later and he was still 72. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted October 5, 2019 One of the aims of this list was that early on when U95 put the original list together, there was surprise that such a large age gap could exist between Smith and the next contender. I'm pleased that, already, we have someone who wasn't on any of the official lists now in 2nd place. And who knows, he may not be 2nd, there may yet be others to be found. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted October 12, 2019 Due to this news - https://www.dundalkfc.com/paddy-durkan-r-i-p/, this rules out the below still being alive. (There was a tentative 2008 death date for him anyway) John Lavery 24/11/1919 Bradford City, halifax, Dundalk 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Creep 7,012 Posted October 13, 2019 You're basing that conclusion on the editorial "and was believed to be the oldest surviving Dundalk player". I'll trust your skills at researching more than whoever wrote that sentence for the paper. Believed by WHOM to be? Who kept track? See.... problems with that statement (I'm the Tuskegee Airmen person so, I know the drill). If I were you I'd put an asterisk or summat by Lavery rather than a skull+crossbones lol. As you said above, always finding new people, or new info on existing ones. SC 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted October 13, 2019 SC, you make very good points actually. With Lavery, I'm going on intuition but who would've thought Simpson was still alive. I think I'll take your advice and put him in some kind of symbol to denote thst he probably is dead but can't be sure. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted October 13, 2019 Edited and put Lavery in. However, Mick Nagy (b. 1929) died as long ago as 1970, so he's been removed. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted October 24, 2019 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. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebless 202 Posted October 30, 2019 Jimmy Elder (March 5th 1928) who played a single game for Portsmouth in November 1949 before a successful five year stint at Colchester confirmed still living at 91 by the Pompey History Society through detective work. Not even on the lists in the opening post. https://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/news/2019/october/last-surviving-member-of-championship-team-re-discovered/ 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted October 30, 2019 Yep, because Portsmouth were adamant Leather was the oldest and all others were dead when McGhee died. Good, I'll amend the list 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulitzer95 11,021 Posted October 31, 2019 No. 8 on your alive section, Bert Mozley, has just died according to Wikipedia and Getty Images. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebless 202 Posted October 31, 2019 10 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said: No. 8 on your alive section, Bert Mozley, has just died according to Wikipedia and Getty Images. Derby County website obit. https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2019/10/rip-bert-mozley 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulitzer95 11,021 Posted November 1, 2019 On 31/10/2019 at 17:24, ebless said: Derby County website obit. https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2019/10/rip-bert-mozley Qualifying Obit for Bert Mozley, courtesy of The Times. Does anyone know who the oldest living England international is now? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted November 1, 2019 Gordon Astall, although Bill Holmes represented Great Britain internationally. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted November 9, 2019 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. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toast 14,839 Posted November 10, 2019 2 hours ago, Octopus of Odstock said: 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. The GRO Death Index has recently been updated to cover deaths from 1984 to 2019 although the index only gives year of birth and not full d.o.b. It's free to search, although you need to register. Still a gap between 1957 and 1984, but FreeBMD has that pretty much covered. https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted November 10, 2019 19 hours ago, Toast said: The GRO Death Index has recently been updated to cover deaths from 1984 to 2019 although the index only gives year of birth and not full d.o.b. It's free to search, although you need to register. Still a gap between 1957 and 1984, but FreeBMD has that pretty much covered. https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp 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 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leon Brittan 254 Posted November 10, 2019 Blackpool have just confirmed Cyril Robinson has died aged 90. The last player from their successful 1953 fa Cup final 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Octopus of Odstock 1,856 Posted November 10, 2019 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 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
time 7,950 Posted November 16, 2019 Liverpool & Bolton's Johnny Wheeler dies aged 91. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redrumours 815 Posted November 16, 2019 2 hours ago, time said: Liverpool & Bolton's Johnny Wheeler dies aged 91. Second casualty from the Matthews 1953 FA Cup final in a week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebless 202 Posted November 16, 2019 1 hour ago, redrumours said: Second casualty from the Matthews 1953 FA Cup final in a week. This leaves Doug Holden as this game's last surviving player. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites