|
Billy
Watson |
Burnley FC
3 appearances, 0 goals
P 3 W 1 D
1 L 1 F 2: A 4
50% successful
1913-22
captain: none
minutes played: 250 |
|
 |
|
Timeline |
| |
Private
Richard Watson |
|
Birth |
Thursday, 11 September 1890 in North Meols, Southport, Lancashire |
|
|
registered as Richard in Ormskirk October-December 1890 |
|
|
According to the 1891
census, seven months old Richard is the youngest of two children to
William and Alice (née Schofield), the other being oldesr sister,
Miriam. His father is a house painter, and they live at 33 Poulton Road in
the North Meols area of Southport. |
|
|
According to the 1901
census, they still live at 33 Poulton Road, Richard has two more siblings,
twins Edith and Frederick. His father is still a house painter. |
|
|
According to the 1911
census, Richard is now a house painter, along with his father. He has two
more younger siblings, Eva and Edward. They all live at 28 Hereford Road
in Southport. The census reveals that his parents had had eight children,
and that two had died.
According to a letter that Billy wrote to
the Burnley News in March 1913, he was living at 28 Hereford Road in
Southport. |
|
First marriage |
to Sarah Lily Sanderson, on
Wednesday, 6 October 1915 at the Victoria Wesleyan
Church, Blowick, Southport. After
spending their honeymoon in Norbreck, they returned to live at 1 Blair
Grove, in Norwood Avenue, Southport. |
|
|
registered as Richard in Ormskirk October-December 1915 |
|
Children |
Billy and
Sarah have one child together. |
|
|
Their only child, a daughter, died in February 1920.
According to the
1921 census, Richard, a professional footballer (for Burnley FC) is still
married to Sarah Lily, and they live at 1 Blair Grove in Southport.
His wife, Lily, died on 15 November 1921.... |
|
"Every sympathy will be extended to Billy Watson in
the irretrievable loss he sustained on Tuesday of his wife. Billy has had
an all too brief married life, his wedding to Miss Lily Sanderson, of
Southport, and formerly of Burnley, taking place on October 6th, 1915. He
suffered a bereavement in February of last year, when he lost his only
baby, an event which led to him not taking part in the English League
match v. the North, for which he was selected as captain. He has been
playing under a weight of anxiety during the past weeks, and all will
regret that what might have been a happy event has resulted in the loss of
a well-loved wife. An improvement in Mrs. Watson's condition had taken
place during the past week, and it was not till last week-end that a change
took place for the worse." - The Burnley News, Saturday, 19
November 1921. |
|
Second marriage |
to Mary Chippendale, on
Tuesday, 20
May 1924 in Ormskirk. It was reported
that he celebrated his silver wedding anniversary 'over the weekend',
reported on 17 May 1949. |
|
|
registered as Richard in Ormskirk April-June 1924 |
|
Children |
Billy and
Mary have one child together. Margaret (b.1927) |
|
|
According to the 1939 register, William, a decorator and ironmonger, and
Mary are still married, living at 92 Bispham Road in Southport.
His
father died in early 1940. |
|
Death |
Thursday, 1
September 1955 at The Hesketh Nursing Home, 14 Park Avenue in Southport,
Lancashire |
|
aged
64 years 355 days |
registered as Richard in Southport July-September 1955 |
|
Obituary |
|
|
|
Funeral |
|
|
Probate |
"WATSON
Richard
otherwise William of Sunningdale 9 Albany-road Southport
Lancashire
died 1 September
1955 at The Hesketh Nursing Home 14 Park-avenue Southport Probate
Winchester
5 October to Mary Watson widow.
Effects £656 14s. 5d."
[2025 equivalent: £14,950]. |
|
|
His wife, Mary, died in Leeds in summer 1998 |
|
Source |
 Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990], Angela Green, Billy's great granddaughter
& . |
|
Playing Career |
Club(s) |
Began playing
schoolboy football in Southport and also played with Sunday school side
Blowick Wesleyans FC. Signed for Southport Central FC in 1907, turning
professional in 1908. Burnley FC signed him in March 1909 for £200,
becoming club captain, leaving in 1925, for Accrington Stanley FC. He did appear for
Southport Central FC again during the war, as well as Fulham FC. |
League honours
352 appearances, 18 goals |
Burnley FC 1909-25
346 appearances, eighteen goals
debut (division two): 3 April 1909 Burnley FC
0 Leeds City AFC 0.
Accrington Stanley FC 1925-26 six appearances
debut (division three north): 29
August 1925 Walsall FC 3 Accrington Stanley FC 3.
last (division three
north): 13 April 1926 Accrington Stanley FC 2 Crewe Alexandra FC 0. |
|
Club honours |
Football League Division Two
third place 1911-12 (38ᵃ), runners-up 1912-13
(32ᵃ 2ᵍ); Division One runners-up 1919-20
(39ᵃ 5ᵍ), Champions
1920-21 (42ᵃ 2ᵍ), third place (31ᵃ 2ᵍ);
FA Cup
winners
1913-14 (8ᵃ); |
|
Individual honours |
Football League
(five appearances, one as captain)
After having played in a
hundred consecutive league matches, Watson was presented with a gold watch
and medal from the Burnlet directors in May 1913. |
|
Distinctions |
The
Watson-Mosscrop Trophy was a competition in the Southport and District
Amateur Football League for senior division clubs in aid of the Benevolent
Fund. |
|
Height/Weight |
5'
7½", 11st.
2lbs [1914]. |
|
Source |
Douglas Lammings' An English
Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990]. |
|
England Career |
|
Player number |
375th
player to appear for England. |
|
Position(s) |
Left half |
|
First match |
No. 116, 5 April 1913,
England 1 Scotland 0, a British Championship match
at Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, Fulham, London, aged
22 years
206 days. |
|
Last match |
No. 120, 25 October 1919, Ireland 1
England 1, a British Championship match at Windsor Park, Donegall Avenue, Belfast, aged
29 years 44 days. |
|
Major tournaments |
British
Championship 1912-13, 1913-14, 1919-20; |
|
Team honours |
British
Championship winners 1912-13; |
|
Individual honours |
England victory (one appearance) |
|
Distinctions |
Died eight days after Harold Fleming and twenty days after Bert Freeman |
|
Beyond England |
|
Part of the Motor Transport of
the Army Service Corps during the war. After leaving football Watson
trained the players at Accrington Stanley FC, also worked as
an ironmonger, of which he became President of the Ironmonger's
Association, and also followed his fathers trade, as a painter & decorator.
Also a successful cricketer, captaining is local side, Derby CC in the
Southport League. Served two spells as a Liberal
councillor on the Southport local authority. -
An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who.
Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.262. |
England
Football Online