Links With The Past: Old Programmes & War Medals
Club Historian John Hutchinson uncovers the facts behind some of the Club’s recent acquisitions in Links With The Past. This week, John explains two precious items in the Club's collection from over 100 years ago...
Some years ago, we were very privileged to take receipt of a rare, old and valuable programme produced for the fixture on 15 November, 1919 between West Ham United and Leicester City.
This was the maiden post-First World War season and the first campaign that the Club played as Leicester City, rather than Leicester Fosse.
The new name reflected Leicester’s newly-restored City status, granted by King George V in June 1919. The programme was donated to the Club by Joseph Hayto from Arnold.
Interesting snippets from the ‘Club Notes’ page include mention of Chelsea’s £6,000 forward line, and the closure of the Wolverhampton Wanderers ground due to the crowd’s 'unruly behaviour'.
Mention is made of the fact that one of the West Ham players missed a previous game because he had to go to Germany to be demobilised after the First World War. The decision to drop the fixture list from the four page programme to keep the cost down to a penny is explained. The 2.30pm kick-off time is a reminder that in the days before floodlights, this was the norm.
Notable names on the teamsheet include two Leicester City players whose memorabilia is already on show at King Power Stadium, courtesy of their families. These are George Douglas, who had scored the first-ever goal for the re-formed Leicester City three months earlier and Teddy King, who was associated with Leicester Fosse and Leicester City as a player and a trainer between 1907 and 1932.
Over 50 players from Leicester Fosse Football Club fought in the First World War. They served in a variety of regiments, including the famous Footballers’ Battalion. Four Leicester players were decorated during the conflict. Twelve more were killed in action. A 13th player died in a Prisoner of War camp. Two more died after surviving the war, one of Spanish flu, and the other of tuberculosis.
These medals were posthumously awarded to Leicester Fosse player Robert Messer who was killed in action on 16 October, 1918 near Ypres. They are the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Robert’s name, rank and number are engraved on the outside edge of the medals. They are on display in the reception area at King Power Stadium.
Robert, an outside-right, was described at the time as ‘a fine wing player who is very fast and centres well’. He appeared twice for Leicester Fosse in the 1910/11 season, against Clapton Orient and Huddersfield Town.
During the First World War, Edinburgh-born Robert became a private in the 6th Battalion of The King’s Own Scottish Borderers.
Ten days after Robert’s death, his battalion was removed from the front line. Sixteen days after that, the war ended.
Robert was never found. He is one of over 35,000 names recorded on the Portland Stone panels which extend for 150 metres around part of the perimeter of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, near Ypres.