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12 August 2025
 
 

George Hilsdon

Chelsea FC

 8 appearances, 14 goals
2 penalties

P 8 W 7 D 1 L 0 F 33: A 4
 94% successful
 1907-09

captain: none
minutes played: 720

Timeline
  Lance Corporal George Hilsdon
Birth Monday, 10 August 1885 in Donald Street, Bromley-by-Bow, Middlesex
  registered in Poplar July-September 1885 Bromley was part of the Middlesex County Registration until 1889
  There are many columns and reports stating that Hilsdon had the middle name of Richard. However, he was not born, married or died with a middle name.
Education Attended Marner Street School and Plashet Lane School from 1897.
 

According to the 1891 census, George is the sixth of seven children to James Irving and Mary Ann (née Cockling). They live in 19 Lingen Street in Bromley. His father is a general labourer.
 

According to the 1901 census, George is now an office boy, and he remains at home with his parents with five of his siblings. They now live at 11 Abbotts Road in East Ham. His father is now a scaffolder.
Marriage to Katherine Ethel Kelly, in West Ham, late 1906, they lived on the Fulham Palace Road.
  registered in West Ham October-December 1906
Children George and Katherine Hilsdon have two children together. George (b.25 April 1907) and Kathleen Edna (b.October 1909).
 

According to the 1911 census, the twenty five year old George is a professional footballer married to Katherine. They have two children, George and Katherine. They also have one servant and they live at 34 Lansdown Road in Forest Gate.
His father died in 1913.
His mother died in early 1920.
According to the 1921 census, George, a billiard marker at the White Hart Hotel, is still married, and with their two children, they live at 21 Westbury Road in West Ham.
"George Hilsdon, said to be an international footballer, of Westbury Road, Forest Gate, was fined £10 at West Ham for frequenting Ferndale Road, Forest Gate, for the purposes of betting." - The Essex Chronicle, Friday, 22 September 1922
  His wife, Katherine, died in early 1933
According to the 1939 register, George, an incapacitated builders labourer, lives on his own at 21 Westbury Road.
Death Saturday, 6 September 1941 in The County Sanatorium, Ratby Lane, Markfield, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, living at 74 Healey Street, South Wigston, at the time. Died of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. notes: not 10th
aged 56 years 27 days registered in Market Bosworth July-September 1941
Obituary
"FAMOUS FORWARD—George Hilsdon Dies in a Leicestershire Hospital
"The death has occurred in a Leicestershire hospital of George Hilsdon, who before the first Great War was a famous centre and inside forward, playing for Chelsea and later for West Ham. He was capped five times between 1907 and 1909, playing England against Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He was also  in the English team which toured the Continent in 1908 and played against Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, and which side also included H.P. Bailey, the Leicester Fosse amateur goalkeeper. Bailey also played with him in the match against Wales in 1908. Hilsdon, who was an evacuee from London, was 56 years of age." - The Leicester Mercury, Wednesday, 10 September 1941

"GEORGE HILSDON'S DEATH
"Death of George Hilsdon, the old West Ham, Chelsea and England centre-forward, is reported from Leicester. Hilsdon, who was in his early fifties, was contemporary in the Chelsea and England teams with those other great inside-forwards Vivian Woodward and J. Windridge. He gained five caps against the home countries." - Daily Herald, Thursday, 11 September 1941
Funeral Thursday, 11 September 1941 at Wigston Cemetery, Leicestershire
Apparently, only his son, George, his daughter, Katherine and her husband, Christopher McNeil, and their child, Terence, attended his funeral that was paid for by the Football Association.
"Whole new crystal ball game
 "CHELSEA chairman Ken Bates has called in a village blacksmith in his latest bid to bring First Division football back to Stamford Bridge. The result is a return of the famous George Hilsdon weather vane after a ten-year absence. The wrought iron structure, weighing nearly a quarter of a ton, will be unveiled today before the derby clash with London rivals Charlton. Hilsdon was the first player to score one hundred goals for Chelsea—achieving it between 1906-12. In recognition of the England centre-forward's feat, he was depicted on the weather vane that stood on top of the Chelsea stand for more than half a century. After the stand was knocked down in 1972, the weather vane vanished. A clairvoyant said that until the famous figure of Hilsdon was restored, Chelsea would struggle. They did—and following relegation nearly went out of business last season, Bates heard the story, dug out photographs of the old wind gauge and took them to the blacksmith's  near his Buckinghamshire home. He told him: 'Make me a reconstruction of the original.' Bates says: 'We are restoring a bit of old Chelsea and part of the club's tradition. We have not been able to put it on the roof of the new stand, but it is above the terracing at the south end of the ground. Old George might prove as good as an extra man on the field. We could certainly do with another 100-goal Chelsea player!" - The Daily Mirror, Saturday, 23 October 1982
"Grandson's bid to honour soccer star
 "BURIED in an unmarked grave in Wigston Cemetery is former Chelsea, West Ham and England footballer George Hilsdon. And his grandson, Glen Parva man Mr Mick McNeill, is hoping that a fund can be established to raise a headstone to his memory. But Mr McNeill's main hope is that he can recover six of the eight England caps which his famous grandfather won. The caps were loaned to a local teacher during the 1960s. They were not returned. 'I would like to get a headstone over my grandfather's grave but more than that I would love to get back these cherished England caps,' says McNeill, of 17 Dorothy Avenue, Glen Parva. Mr McNeill discovered from the local council the site of George Hilsdon's grave only recently. But he has not been forgotten at Stamford Bridge where he was the model for the ground's weathervane which stood until the ground was redeveloped. Mr McNeill is hoping that the weathervane will be re-erected there." - The Oadby & Wigston Mail, Thursday, 18 May 1989
Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Playing Career

Club(s)		 Hilsdon captained his school side and then played centre-half for East Ham Boys FC and played for South-West Ham FC. He was spotted playing for Boleyn Castle FC by Syd King and subsequently joined West Ham United FC in November 1904. After suffering injuries achieving just sixteen Southern League appearances and seven goals, Chelsea signed Hilsdon and Robert Bush on 1 May 1906 on a free transfer. He returned to West Ham United FC on 7 June 1912, again on a free transfer, to make another 69 Southern League appearances and to score another 24 goals. Guested for Heart of Midlothian FC during the war, as well as representing The Army. Assisted Chatham Town FC in 1919, but his damaged lungs would not allow him to surpass six matches, despite scoring fourteen goals. He retired soon after.
League honours
150 appearances, 99 goals		 Chelsea FC 1906-12 150 appearances, 99 goals
debut (division two): 1 September 1906 Chelsea FC 9 Glossop FC 2.
last (division two): 8 April 1912 Derby County FC 2 Chelsea FC 0.
Club honours Football League Division Two runners-up 1906-07 (32ᵃ 28ᵍ), 1911-12 (10ᵃ 1ᵍ), third place 1910-11 (26ᵃ 18ᵍ);
FA Cup semi-finalist 1910-11 (5ᵃ 1ᵍ)
Individual honours Football League (two appearances)
Distinctions His son, George, followed his father's profession, but as an actor. He was a television actor, playing Hazell's father in BBC's Hazell, amongst other roles.
Height/Weight 5' 8½", 12st. 2lbs [1911].
Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

England Career
Player number One of five who became 321st players (325) to appear for England
Position(s) Centre-forward
First match No. 89, 16 February 1907, England 1 Ireland 0, a British Championship match at Goodison Park, Walton, Liverpool, aged 21 years 190 days.
Last match
1 year 362 days		 No. 99, 13 February 1909, England 4 Ireland 0, a British Championship match at Horton Park Avenue, Horton Park, Bradford, aged 23 years 187 days.
Major tournaments British Championship 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09;
Team honours British Championship shared 1907-08, winners 1908-09;
Individual honours The South (three appearances, 5ᵍ January 1907-January 1909);
Goalscoring honours England's Top Goalscorer 1909 (twelve) a new record
Distinctions Died twelve days after Jimmy Ward

Beyond England
Hilsdon was part of the East Surrey Regiment and during WW1, he was badly gassed at Arras in June 1917. He had theatrical connections and in 1924 he joined Fred Karno's Troup, a popular vaudeville act. One method of publicising the company was to arrange a charity football match between the cast of the show and some local organization. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.129/30.


The Numbers
parties Apps comp. apps minutes goals ave.min comp. goals captain
9 8 5 720 14 51 min 6 none
The minutes here given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only an approximation.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
8 7 1 0 33 4 +29 0 4 4.125 0.5 93.8 +7

Venue Record
Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 0 2 2.50 0.00 100.0 +2
Away 6 5 1 0 28 4 +24 0 2 4.667 0.667 91.7 +5

Competition Record
  
Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
British Championship 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.20 0.60 90.0 +4
Friendly 3 3 0 0 17 1 +16 0 2 5.667 0.333 100.0 +3

Opposition Record
  
Opposition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Ireland 3 3 0 0 8 1 +7 0 2 2.667 0.333 100.0 +3
Wales 1 1 0 0 7 1 +6 0 0 7.00 1.00 100.0 +1
Scotland 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
Hungary 1 1 0 0 7 0 +7 0 1 7.00 0.00 100.0 +1
Austria 1 1 0 0 6 1 +5 0 0 6.00 1.00 100.0 +1
Bohemia 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
 
 Tournament Record
 
British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1906-07 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 0 1 1.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC 1907-08 3 2 1 0 11 3 +8 0 0 2.667 1.00 83.3 +2
BC 1908-09 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC All 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.20 0.60 90.0 +4

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.20 0.60 90.0 +4
5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.2 0.6 90 +4

Match History
 
 Club: Chelsea F.C. - eight full appearances (720 min) 14ᵍ F.A. International Select Committee - eight full appearances (720 min) 14ᵍx

apps match match details comp res. rundown pos

Age 25 trial  
one appearance - The South vs. The North, 28 January 1907;

1 89 16 February 1907 - England 1 Ireland 0
Goodison Park, Liverpool		 BC HW   ir
 

one of five who became the 321st player (325) to appear for England
the first player from Chelsea FC to represent England

Age 26 trial  
one appearance - The North vs. The South, 27 January 1908;

2 92 15 February 1908 - Ireland 1 England 3
Solitude Ground, Belfast		 BC AW  7
83		 ir
3 93 16 March 1908 - Wales 1 England 7
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff		 BC AW  40
63		 ir
4 94 4 April 1908 - Scotland 1 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow		 BC AD   ir
5 95 6 June 1908 - Austria 1 England 6
Cricketer Platz, Wien
tour		 AW  57
70		 ir
96 8 June 1908 - Austria 1 England 11, Hohe Warte Stadion, Wien AW reserve
6 97 10 June 1908 - Hungary 0 England 7
Millenáris Sportpálya, Buda-Pesth		 AW 2848
7188		 ir
7 98 13 June 1908 - Bohemia 0 England 4
Stadión Letná, Praha		 AW  24
50		 ir

his twelve goals (a new record) in 1908 makes him top goalscorer for the year/season

Age 27 trial  
one appearance - The South vs. The North, 25 January 1909;

8 99 13 February 1909 - England 4 Ireland 0
Horton Park Avenue, Bradford		 BC HW  50
87		 ir
 


  

 
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