Queen's Park Football Club and the Great War 1914
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Queen’s Park Football Club and the Great War 1914 - 1918 This account aims to raise awareness and understanding in both the club and wider community of the impact of the war on the club and the 220 + members and players who enlisted for military service, at least 32 of whom died. Their story has remained virtually unknown until now. Part One Queen’s Park Responds to War Queen’s Park 1867 – 1914 On Tour in the Last Summer of Peace The Call to Arms Queen’s Park Answers the Call Queen’s Park and the Scots Battalions The Home Front The Debate on Scottish Football Charitable Work Queen’s Park Teams and Performance Written by Fred Ellsworth March 1st 2016 1 Queen’s Park Responds to War QPFC 1867 - 1914 Founded on July 9th 1867, Queen's Park Football Club is Scotland's oldest senior club. In the Amateur era from 1873 to 1890, they enjoyed much success on the field. Queen’s Park had reached the FA Cup Final twice and won the Scottish Cup for the ninth time in 1890. Queen’s Park Season 1889 – 1890 Winners of Scottish Cup and Glasgow Cup Back Row (Left to Right) : J McTavish, J McAra Middle Row (Left to Right) : W Arnott, R Smellie, G Gillespie, A Stewart, W Gulliland, D.S. Allan Front Row (Left to Right) : W Berry, W Sellar, D.C. Brown (President), T Robertson, J Hamilton Queen's Park opposed the creation of a Scottish Football League in 1890, anticipating that a formal league would make professionalism inevitable. Despite their absence from the new league Queen’s Park won the Scottish cup for a tenth time in 1893, beating Celtic 2-1 in a final replay at Ibrox Park. However, finding it increasingly difficult to compile a meaningful fixture list, Queen’s Park finally joined the League in May 1900. During the period from 1896 to 1903, Queen's Park purchased the 12 acres of land in Mount Florida, Glasgow, on which the club erected the third and greatest Hampden Park. The facilities were opened on October 31st 1903 in a home league fixture against Celtic. 2 Hampden Park soon grew in popularity as a neutral venue for cup finals and international matches, and prior to 1914 held its first crowd of over 100,000. A new pavilion was built in 1914 in an innovative design that incorporated a Pavilion within a Stand. When completed in December 1914 the Southern Press described it as “possibly the most palatial club house in world football”. Hampden Park in the 1920s Queen’s Park’s first eleven struggled to compete in the First Division of the Scottish League between 1900 and 1914, with the club losing some of its best players to professional clubs at the end of each season. Despite such difficulties, Queen's Park did not stand still. The years between 1909 and 1913 saw a significant development of the club's three junior elevens. The Strollers (2nd) X1 were to compete in the Glasgow Reserve XI FA, Scottish 2nd XI FA and the Scottish Reserve League. The Hampden XI (3rd team) were entered in the Scottish Amateur League, formed in 1909, and the Victoria XI (4th team) joined the Scottish Football Union. Queen's Park’s constitution and structure in 1914 was unique. The Club had set a 350 limit to its membership of current and former amateur players, as well as non-playing members, with committees having discretion “to admit any additional applicants who are considered likely to strengthen the playing element of the club”. The amateur status of the club was re-affirmed by the stipulation that no person who had been at any time a professional player, coach or manager in any form of sport could either be admitted as a member, or indeed retain membership. In 1914, as today, Queen’s Park was the only fully amateur club in the Scottish Football League, its amateur status reflected in its Latin motto, "Ludere Causa Ludendi" – to play for the sake of playing. 3 On Tour in the Last Summer of Peace Following the end of season 1913 – 1914 Queen’s Park embarked on the club’s 5th continental tour, on this occasion to Denmark and Sweden. The tour party consisted of 14 players, together with the team trainer, and 6 club officials. On Thursday May 28th they were seen off from Queen Street by a large crowd of fellow members and friends before setting sail from Leith. Deck billiards, deck quoits and a shovelboard tournament were played on board. After an impromptu concert “early to bed was the order of the night and early to rise and a cold sea water bath the order of Friday morning”. According to the Evening Times the voyage “was enjoyed most thoroughly by as happy and brotherly a crowd of boys as ever wore the world-famous colours of the old club”. The same correspondent reported that Eddie Garvie, seen here sitting on deck with the lifebelt round his neck, was at the centre of most activities and “proved himself a master of a number of wind instruments, ranging from the bassoon to the flute, and from the bagpipes to the trombone”. 4 The first game, on Monday June 1st, was played in front of a crowd of 10,000 against a team selected from the best 4 clubs in Copenhagen. According to some observers the select was comparable in strength to the Danish national team. The Queen’s team that day, in traditional formation, was Gordon Kerr ; James West and Robert Young ; Eddie Garvie, Tom Haydock, and John Roberts; Elijah Cresswell, James Walker, George. Cunningham, A. D. McLaren, and Ralph Risk. The 3 other players on the tour were Andrew McCrae, Maurice Wilson and W Kerr. Queen’s Park were defeated 5-1 as a result of what the Evening Times described as “wretched shooting by their forwards”. On Tuesday June 2nd the team sailed on to Gothenburg and the following day, in front of a crowd of 4,000, defeated Orgryte 2-0, with goals from Andrew McCrae and Elijah Cresswell. Back Row from the left : Councillor George Samson, Ralph Risk *, Hugh Logan (Joint Treasurer), Thomas Robertson (President) Middle Row from the left : J Nutt (Trainer), A MacLean (Joint Treasurer), George Bruce Cunningham *, Maurice Wilson *, James Walker *, J S Strang (Secretary) Front Row from the left : Gordon Kerr, Eddie Garvie *, Elijah Cresswell *, John Roberts *, James West *, Andrew McCrae *, J Fullarton (Club Official), A D McLaren, Robert M Young * The tour party arrived back in Leith on Sunday June 7th. Within two months Britain was at war with Germany. 11 of the 14 players on tour that Summer enlisted for service during the First World War and are indicated with an * in the group photograph above. Absent from the photograph was Tom Haydock. Of the 11, Eddie Garvie, Andrew McCrae and Tom Haydock were to lose their lives. 5 The Call to Arms At the start of the war there were around 700,000 soldiers fit for service in the British army – a number which included many territorials and reservists. By modern day standards this is a staggering figure. However, by comparison with other major powers in 1914, Britain’s army was small. Lord Kitchener, Secretary for War, was entrusted with the task of rapidly expanding the size of the British army. By the end of December 1914 well over a million men had joined up. So successful was his campaign that it remained unnecessary to introduce compulsory conscription before January 1916. Many men saw it as their patriotic duty to fight for their country – even some of those who came to believe that the war should be brought to an end. Others joined for more mundane reasons, whether to escape unemployment and low wages or to fulfil a sense of adventure and excitement in participating in a war that “would be over by Christmas”. Enlistment was encouraged by a relentless propaganda campaign targeted at the conscience of potential recruits, their families and their employers 6 Queen’s Park Answers the Call Queen’s Park members and players were among the first to volunteer for service. By the time Queen’s Park met Third Lanark on Saturday September 5th at Cathkin Park a dozen members and players had already enlisted. In this Evening Times cartoon the Queen’s Park player in the foreground is Eddie Garvie, one of the club’s most prominent players who enlisted in the 5th Battalion Cameron Highlanders. A report on the match against Third Lanark stated “It was pleasing to observe that the excellent response by the Queen’s Park boys to Lord Kitchener’s call was not forgotten by the crowd. When Captain Garvie led his men afield the enthusiasm of the spectators was most pronounced, and right throughout the game there were outbursts which betokened appreciation better than words.” 7 On December 21st 1914, the Evening Times reported that 71 Queen’s Park members and players were now serving with His Majesty’s Forces, and in doing so stated that “it is singularly appropriate that the oldest amateur club now playing what is termed “first class” football, and the premier club of Scotland, should show a record unequalled by any other club”. Queen’s Park Season 1909 – 1910 Back Row from the left : Arthur F Murray *, Clyde Skene, James Strang (Secretary), Robert S McColl *, James Thomson, Harold McDonald Paul *, James Bryce * Middle Row from the left : Harry Fletcher *, James Hamilton, R G Burnett, R Purcell, James Bennett * Front Row from the left : A Richmond, A D Armour, James Allison (President), W McAndrew, James Bowie * Enlisted during the war with names in bold those who subsequently died Other First XI Players who enlisted during the war : William P Brown , R J Cameron, Claude Craigie, James Leckie, James McBean, Robert M Young, 8 Queen’s Park Season 1911 – 1912 Back Row from the left : Maurice Wilson *, D G Drummond, James McBean *, F J Porter, T E Forsyth *, James Anderson *,