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Reader Comments (13)

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Tony Abrahams
1 Posted 10/07/2014 at 09:11:07
Brilliant article that, Tony,
Danny Broderick
2 Posted 10/07/2014 at 13:11:04
Any relation to Lee & Tom Molyneux, who played for us at youth level recently?
Paul Wharton
3 Posted 10/07/2014 at 16:21:56
Tony, another really nice article on the Victorian era.
Eugene Ruane
4 Posted 10/07/2014 at 19:40:09
"...but chose instead to settle in Southend where he worked, as a Maintenance Engineer, at a local sewage works.."

What a contrast, now he’d probably have golf ball-sized diamond earrings, head-to-foot illegible tats, a satsuma-coloured scrubber on his arm and 㿭 grand a week in his bin.

Anyway, another really fantastic piece.

Jamie Crowley
5 Posted 10/07/2014 at 20:08:18
He was buried at Southend where his three sisters, who had travelled down from Liverpool, were the only mourners at his Funeral.

Might be the saddest thing I've ever read on TW. My heart just sank.

Danny Kewley
6 Posted 10/07/2014 at 20:10:15
Nice article, Tony, touched a soft spot having been born in Kirkdale myself. I think Eugene nails it he when he says (as I interpret it) today’s journeymen are wrapped in silk by comparison. Nice to see his sisters stood by him at the end but sad they were the only ones at an ex-Everton player’s funeral.
Pete Cross
7 Posted 10/07/2014 at 20:26:38
Jamie, I thought the same until I realised the war was on. I would think his mates would be away fighting, also travel from Liverpool would have been near impossible.
Jamie Crowley
8 Posted 11/07/2014 at 13:42:30
Pete - I believe he would have been near 63, so not a lot of friends off fighting the war. The travel issue is a good point. I might be wrong but I thought it stated in the 1911 census he was 34 years old, so in 1940 he would have been 63 by my math(s).

Still just breaks my heart with three people present at his funeral.

Jay Harris
9 Posted 11/07/2014 at 14:40:56
Great nostalgic story Tony.

Tinged with sadness that only 3 people attended his funeral but travel was far more difficult then as very few had cars and Southend would not be the easiest place to get to.

Rob Sawyer
10 Posted 12/07/2014 at 03:20:47
Tony, that was a well-researched and touching article. Well done.
Pete Cross
11 Posted 12/07/2014 at 12:07:12
Jamie, silly me, must have been Dad's Army.
Geoff Evans
12 Posted 16/07/2014 at 18:27:25
Great article, painstaking research, good on ya!
Sean Allinson
13 Posted 31/07/2014 at 11:04:12
Congratulations Tony, on a fantastic piece. A real labour of love.

If I may pick you up on one particular fact – the full back with whom he made such a successful partnership in the early 1900s was not Walter but Billy Balmer, the W standing for William (brother of Robert Balmer and Uncle of Jackie of Reds fame). This can be verified in Everton's own historical record, James Corbett's excellent 'The School of Science'.

Also, the England Stats website have a record of his one international cap (http://www.englandstats.com/players.php?pid=53). He's also on Wikipedia, but that proves nothing!

Sorry to be a pedant, but the man made over 300 appearances (Scoring just 1 goal – still that's one more than Hibbo!)

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