I’ve recently found out that my great grand father was arrested for sparking out a copper at Sheff Wed away Now I only have 1 memory of this fella in the early 80’s when I’ll have been about 4 but I have inherited a pile of medals such as ‘shipyard games’ boxer gold winner as well as rowing and swimming medals, so he was clearly a bit of a big powerful fella for the times. I’ve been told he had hands like shovels and was loved and feared in equal measures and only wish I’d found out more when I’d had the chance. My dad who is now in his 70’s recalls being terrified by him and getting the ‘Jolly bus’ one time when he got on and everyone shook his hand and shrinking as he made his way towards him. These medals are all from the 1910’s and 20’s so expecting the away day kick off to be around this time, would love to know the actual fixture. I didn’t know that people would travel (and god knows how) for away games as far back as that. The only detail I have is that the arrest was due to removing a police constable’s helmet, which is / was a crime before laying the copper out - which just sounds comical. Anyone got anything similar? To add to this, he volunteered during WW2 as a fire fighter and during the time that bombs hit the town centre / Binns came home ‘black as a crow’ but with half a dozen new suits, seems quite the character!
My mam's cousins uncle was the first fella to be arrested for his horse getting **** faced and collapsing on Chester road blocking all the traffic back in the 50's. Ps: I grew up 3 doors from the ****ing miserable Jimmy Montgomery.
My sisters husbands cousin’s cousin is Big Sam’s wife . I used to deliver Evening Chronicle to Micky Horswills house
In the mid sixties I sold Jimmy Montgomery and his soon to be new wife the light fittings for his new home when I worked in Bainbridge's Dept Store in Newcastle.
I used to play football with Barry Venisons dad Davy. Barry used to come to our games when he was a young un
I went to the same secondary school as Marco. He left the year I started. His school 100m record probably still stands.
I played 5 a side game against a side with Bobby Kerr in their team. Dear lord..how good was he... around 10 years after he retired and still fiercely competitive
Haha, Halloween of maybe 93 or 94. I was trick or treating from my Grandma's house in Cleadon village and it all just got a bit much for me when we got to his door. Hard to go in all of those bandages.
Your grandmother was related to the lass that played Wonder Woman in the 1970s on telly? Impressive but can’t see what it has to do with Sunderland.
One of my dads best memories was sitting next to Raich Carter at an away game at Hull, many years ago. He was over the moon. I'd buggered off to meet up with my mates in another part of the ground. I think we may have won 4.1 that day, think Gary Rowell scored, but memory plays tricks and I've been to several games at Hull. It must have been a lucky ground as I dont recall seeing us get beat there. My dad and his brother talked about Raich most of the way home.
Barry was definitely a safc fan, went to East Stanley school with him. Would often play football with him in the street when they lived at Chester Road. Those big gates on the back were used as goals. Often we got chased by the neighbours as the ball 'thudded' against them.
My grandad played alongside Horatio Carter for Stanley Forge. Had trials at Sunderland at same time as Carter apparently.
