Towerbank Cup-Winning Football Team

Comment

Laurie Thompson

Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England

Thank you to Laurie Thompson for providing the photo above, together with the list of names below.

Laurie wrote:

Portobello Recollections

"Continuing my wanderings through the website, I've been particularly interested in Portobello, Recollections 1920s-50s, including the references to the Cassidy family. That name rang a faint bell. I wonder if the Cassidy player in the photo above comes from the same family.

Towerbank Football Team

"My late dad was born and raised in Ramsey Place, Portobello. He was a pupil at Towerbank School. Looking through his old photos, I found a picture of him in what appears to be a cup-winning football team, presumably one of the Towerbank teams."

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge it.

This photo is undated, but guessing the age of my dad in the picture as being in his early teens, I'd think it was probably taken sometime in the early 1930s.

Pupils' Ages

Question

I had thought of Towerbank School as being a primary school and that it would not have included children as old as earl- teenagers.

Perhaps it included older children in the early-1930s. Do you know? ***

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 19, 2014

*** I did not have to wait long for a reply! Please see Reply 2 below.

Request for Help

"I'd be grateful if anybody could confirm / correct / complete the names of its subjects, and/or provide details of the picture's date, occasion, etc.

My dad died over 50 years ago, and there are no surviving members of our family who can provide any more details.

Offer of Help

"Finally, if this is read by any descendants of any of the other people in the picture, and they would like a scanned copy of it, I'll be happy to oblige."

Laurie Thompson, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England: June 18, 2014

Reply to Laurie Thompson

If you'd like to send a reply to Laurie, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on his email address to you. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 18, 2014

Towerbank Football Team Photo
Laurie wrote: Names © "The names of the people in the picture are written on the back of it in faint pencil, but the passing of the years, and some rubbing wear, has made them even fainter. However, having used oblique light and a magnifying glass, the names (reading from L to R) seem to be as follows:"
	Back Row	Middle Row	Front Row
1.	Mr Graham	Mr McKay	H Campbell
2.	B Aiken	B Sutherland	D Rafferty
3.	W Courntary ?	J Anderson
4.	A Cassidy	G McPhee Captain
5.	L Thompson (Dad!)	B Baxter
6.	D Somerville	W Alexander
7.	Teacher - unidentified	Mr Glen ?
Laurie Thompson, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England: June 18, 2014

Comment

Reply

Douglas Bryce

Pilton, Edinburgh

Thank you to Douglas Bryce who wrote:

The Football Cup

"The cup in the picture looks very like the EPSAA (Edinburgh Primary Schools Athletics Association) Cup.

It was played for by schools with a smaller number of pupils.

The boys look too old but you have a picture of it under Dalry Primary School." ***

Dalry Primary School

1952

©"

Douglas Bryce, Pilton, Edinburgh: June 19, 2014

*** Reply 2 below explains why the boys in the Towerbank photo look older than I expected.

Comment

Reply

Laurie Thompson

Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England

Thank you to Laurie Thompson for replying to my question about the age of the pupils at Towerbank school.

I wrote:

Pupils' Ages

Question

I had thought of Towerbank School as being a primary school and that it would not have included children as old as earl- teenagers.

Perhaps it included older children in the early-1930s. Do you know? ***

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 19, 2014

Laurie replied:

"Amongst my dad's old possessions I have an original hand-written (and very complimentary!) reference letter dated 5th July 1934 from Mr J. S. McKay, Headmaster, Towerbank PUBLIC (not Primary) School, provided in advance of the formal School Lower Certificates being available.

It says, among other things, that dad 'has been a pupil at Towerbank School for nine and a half years'.

At that time, dad was fourteen and a half. THis would tie up nicely with a primary school starting age of five or thereabouts, and his early-teens appearance in the team picture.

Laurie Thompson, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England: June 19, 2014

Thanks Laurie. That seems to round off the discussion nicely!

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 19, 2014