Wigan Album
Central Park
5 Comments
Photo: Keith
Item #: 16239
When War broke about 7 or 8 of Wigan's Welshmen returned home and so Wigan recruited local talent. My father had a very good reason to return, his Wigan wife to be, my mother. So he played with the nucleus of the great post war team, throughout some of the War years.
Talent like Cunliffe, Bradshaw and Ryan but also the likes of Ernie Ashcroft, Ken Gee and Joe Egan, before he was called up into the Forces for three years.
Hermus Llewellyn was an electrician, who like many Welshmen in the 1930's had moved up north to find work. He came from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen (his parents ran the local pub). Hermus was advised not to change digs since this would result in an immediate "call up" for the forces. Unfortunately this happened and Hermus was killed on February 15th 1943, aged 29 but not before he had been awarded the Military Medal. He is buried at the Tripoli War Cemetery.
Wigan had many Welshmen on their books and fellow Welshmen like Hermus and Rowland Jones, a famous tenor and member of the Bickershaw Brass Band sought out and were friends with fellow Welshmen in Wigan, hence Hermus's appearance on this photo.
I should have, of course, mentioned Johnny Lawrenson also a great local talent. My father often told me of Johnny's great ability to kick the ball forward and be almost 100% sure of the ball bouncing back towards him as he ran forward to collect it, a feat not many possess today. He never divulged the secret of how he managed to do it.
I have mentioned this before on your other photos.I have a dvd showing your father with other players having a round the table chat in B Bostons pub. Just wandering if you have it.
I'll be in touch John. Thank you.
Hermus was my Mother"s Uncle. It's amazing to see a photo of him.