023 – Jock Rutherford and the Arsenal Boot

Jock Rutherford is one of those names that many Arsenal fans recognise, but just as a name. In fact he was a true star of the age, and his signing in 1913 was a bit of a coup for the newly relegated Arsenal. He stayed at Arsenal until 1923 when he decamped for a brief spell as manager of Stoke City before returning to Arsenal a month later. He finally left Arsenal in 1926, setting a record that stands to this day for the oldest first team player at our club. His son (John) was also on Arsenal’s books at the same time, playing one game. The first scan is from ‘Sports Pictures’ magazine. Although the article below (from All Sports) has little about his career at Arsenal I think it’s a fascinating insight into what it was like to be a player then. I’ve also included an advert page from the same issue, as it features the ‘Arsenal Boot’.

022 – Leslie Knighton’s team

As most will no doubt know Leslie Knighton was Arsenal’s manager immediately prior to Herbert Chapman. An interesting, open and popular man in football I’ve scanned an interview with him from Football Favourites magazine, and also a scan of a postcard of the 1920/21 teamgroup.

021 – All Sports 1919/20

All Sports was a popular weekly sports tabloid of the inter-war years. Featuring the mixture of reports, interviews and gossip that we know so well today, it was one of the best selling weeklies of the time. I’ve scanned a history piece from 1919 which clearly shows even then they knew where the history was to be found in London, and a couple of clips from the start of the next season purely because I like the pictures!

020 – 1919, Highbury in the First Division

Finally, after the ‘war to end all wars’, League football returned and Arsenal, now at Highbury, returned to the first division. Some nice early shots of Highbury before the stands we all know so well were built. On the subject of Highbury I’ve also included scans from an article published in the programme in the sixties to remember the building of Highbury 50 years on.

019 – Wally Hardinge

Throughout Arsenal’s history there have been a succession of players who also played cricket, the most famous being Denis Compton. An earlier one was H.T.W. (Wally) Hardinge who joined Arsenal when we moved to Highbury. Sadly his football career was interupted by the Great War He gave up playing football in 1921 and went into coaching but continued playing cricket for Kent as a free scoring batsman and slow left arm bowler.

"Hardinge, The Woolwich Arsenal footballer, taken in 1913"

018 – Manor Ground, Woolwich Arsenal v Liverpool

Before we move on to Highbury a little clip of us playing at The Manor Ground before the move. This game was played on 02/09/1911.

017 – Clock End pre-Clock End

As much is often said about how we moved to Highbury to play on what had been the sports field of St John’s Hall (Highbury College of Divinity) I thought it might be interesting to show some scans of postcards of what the original College buildings looked like. They were situated on the hill above where Highbury is and were demolished after being burnt down in 1946, which is when the current buildings were begun.

016 – 1910 Boy’s Own Teamgroup from 1907

Title sound confusing? Well this teamgroup was published by Boys Own in 1910. The trouble is it’s not a (then) current teamgroup as it is a copy of a picture that appeared in Black and White magazine in March 1907. However, one thing that the Boys Own version does that the other doesn’t is fit on a regular scanner so that’s the one you’re getting!

015 – Arsenal in the Community 1909

Although there has only been an official ‘Arsenal in the Community’ department for 25 years or so the charitable side of the club was there from the start – indeed one of the earliest AGM’s reacted with great delight when told of monies raised. These scans are from The Daily Sketch dated 28-12-1909.

014 – 1907/08

3 scans for you today.

The first is a postcard teamgroup showing the rather impressive looking London League Shield. Second is a page from Bystander magazine showing the splendidly behatted Christmas crowd at Arsenal. The third one, from the Northampton Daily Chronicle (04-05-1908) whilst not directly affecting Arsenal at the time, is something I’d call ‘Meanwhile, in Northampton…”.