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Fred Whitlow 1927-31

BTSCBTSC
edited November 2011 in General Charlton

Dear All,

I'm currently writing an article for the Barry Town matchday programme on one of our old players - Fred Whitlow.  From Barry he moved to Charlton in 1926, before moving to Exeter City in 1931 and then back to Barry Town in 1935. I think he went to Dundee at some point as well - though I'm still trying to work out exactly when (1927?)

I see from Wikipedia (!) he made 100 Addicks appearances and scored 64 goals.  If anybody out there has any more Charlton career stats for Whitlow they could share with me, that would be terrific.  I know that Charlton won the 1928-29 Division 3 South title (belated congratulations on that by the way), and I'd be interested to find out how much of an influence Whitlow was in that title-winning season.  Any important goals?

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Good luck against PNE on the weekend.

Jason

Barry Town Supporters' Committee

 

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Comments

  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    edited November 2011
    One of my favourite players growing up, it was 65 goals actually not 64. He scored 27 goals in 38,appearances in that promotion season.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    If I remember correctly, he didn't score in the last game where we won 2-0 up at Walsall. Hundreds of us made the trip up and we all run onto the pitch at the final whistle. When we got back to Paddington, hundreds more had gathered there to greet the players, and back in Charlton the streets were almost impassable. Heady days indeed.
  • Covered EndCovered End
    I bet even Grandpa didn't see Fred Whitlow play  :-)
  • Covered EndCovered End
    If I remember correctly, he didn't score in the last game where we won 2-0 up at Walsall. Hundreds of us made the trip up and we all run onto the pitch at the final whistle. When we got back to Paddington, hundreds more had gathered there to greet the players, and back in Charlton the streets were almost impassable. Heady days indeed.




    Paddington ?

    You've got the rest spot on though.

  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    edited November 2011
    Just checked my diary from that year, I noted he joined Dundee on 30 Jan 28, but rejoined that summer on 15 May 28. I also appeared to have lamb hearts for dinner that day, but don't put that in your programme.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram



    Paddington ?

    You've got the rest spot on though.

    Definately Paddington, I remember the clock.

  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    He also went in goal for our home game v Southend when our keeper was injured when charged over the line. He didn't concede any, and we won 3-2.
  • BTSCBTSC
    All absolutely brilliant stuff.  Loving the 'memories', and the lamb hearts comment is definitely going in.
  • Covered EndCovered End
    He played up front with Charles Charlie Charles & they both used to smoke pipes.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    We could have done with him in recent years, in 29/30 we played Millwall home and away, and amazingly didn't lose either ! Drew 1-1 both times and Fredrick William James Whitlow scored our goal in both games.
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  • Off_itOff_it
    He was after my time I'm afraid. I stopped going when they sold out and turned professional. Splitters.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    His record as follows:

    27/28 - P4 G1
    28/29 - P38 G27
    29/30 - P33 G27
    30/31 - P25 G10
  • No.1 in South LondonNo.1 in South London
    Fred Whitlow played his last game for Charlton Athletic on the 28th March 1931 verses Southampton at the Dell. I remember old "Smudger" Smith (AFKABartram to his mates) heading an own goal either side of two other Saints goals, which saw us 3-0 down inside the first 20 minutes. He scored his final goal for Charlton the previous Saturday in a 2-1 home win over Reading. Exactly a month previous to the Reading match, he scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 home win over Bradford Park Avenue in front of 10,609 of the Valley faithful.                    .....................................................................  (all true apart from Smudger Smith's alias) !
  • BTSCBTSC
    Quality fans on here, fair play.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    I missed that Soton game No1 as my gearbox went on my Wolseley Hornet just south of Basingstoke, but I saw us bounce back in style with a 3-1 win down at Plymouth the following week. I remember the supporters coach turned up just before half time...
  • March51March51
    Surprised Mr.Afka didn't mention that Fred's first two goals for us were both against Norwich City but in different seasons: at the Valley in Nov. '27 and again at home in September '28. I remember saying to my son at the tram stop after the game that someone will find that interesting one day.
  • BTSCBTSC

    Lots of info on here I can chew on as I do my article.  I'll be sure to name-drop CharltonLife when I do so.

    Oh, actually - anybody got a photo of Whitlow?  The only one I've ever seen of him is one in his Exeter City days.

     

     

     

  • falconwood_1falconwood_1
    OohAah prolly has a statue of Whitlow in his backgarden?
  • March51March51
    There's a b/w team photo which includes Fred in Colin Cameron's 'Home and Away with Charlton Athletic' (actually one for each season really). Someone might be able to do a copy for you, afraid I'm not so good at that stuff.
  • No.1 in South LondonNo.1 in South London
    edited November 2011
    I missed that Soton game No1 as my gearbox went on my Wolseley Hornet just south of Basingstoke, but I saw us bounce back in style with a 3-1 win down at Plymouth the following week. I remember the supporters coach turned up just before half time...
    I was on that coach ! The driver was the club steward and he held a vote at the first stop on the way down as there were many who had witnessed the Saints first half debacle and didn't fancy more first half humiliation. The first vote ended in an 18 all draw to turn up before the match or at half-time, but after five or six more pints of brown & mild in the Grecian and Janner at Dawlish, the i's for a second half only show ran out 35-1 winners, poor old Syd moans to this day that that was the only vote he ever lost as spokesperson for CASC.
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  • StigStig
    edited November 2011
    Fred was my brother's best man back in 1929.  Here's a pic of him on the stag do:

    image

     

    This was actually taken from a bigger picture of the whole Charlton team whilst they were out on the lash in Blackpool:

    image

    You'll notice that the whole team had very big heads in those days.  This was due to a punishing training regime where manager Alex MacFarlane made the whole team header medicine balls for up to eight hours a day, as a result they all went down with cranial elephantiasis.  This became so bad that in that seasons goal-highlights video the parts of all the players had to be played by John Hurt.  
  • StigStig
    edited November 2011
    Here's that picture that March was talking about:

    image

    The others haven't told you this because they didn't know him as well as I did, but here's a bit of biographical background:   He was born in Bristol in 3rd September 1904.  He was 5'11" and weighed 11st 4lb, not at birth (that would have made his mum's eyes water) but a little while later when he played for us.  He died in Bristol on 6th January 1978.  Later in his career he scored seven hat-tricks and a brace in a run of eight games, but I expect some Grecians will enjoy telling you about that.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    Nice one Stig
  • No.1 in South LondonNo.1 in South London
    edited November 2011

    Charlton staistician at the time Ron Came, in his book "The Charlton Fifty" noted that Fred Whitlow was revered as having the hardest shot in football. Ron hand timed Fred's penalty kicks in home matches, from time of impact to when they burst the net. On 13th April 1929, Fred's successful penalty against Queens Park Rangers at The Valley was estimated by Ron's calculations to have hit the back of the net at 174mph, but as with everything recorded about football in those heady days, it was known that an optical illusion existed. Pathe news reels from that era support this theory and subsequently Fred's rocket was revised with the help of modern technology to 48mph. However, the legend was born and visiting goalkeepers would often leave the Valley with the tips of their fingers bandaged if they were fortunate enough to get a touch on one of Fred's sreamers. Nowadays anyone with similar finger damage is refered to as having a "Whitlow".

  • LoOkOuTLoOkOuT
    LOL, this has me in stitches!
  • OaksterOakster
    edited November 2011

    Lots of info on here I can chew on as I do my article.  I'll be sure to name-drop CharltonLife when I do so.

    Oh, actually - anybody got a photo of Whitlow?  The only one I've ever seen of him is one in his Exeter City days.

     

    Funnily enough at the game against Thames Ironworks the other season I was able to sneak* in a block of wood past the stewards & I produced a great etching of Fred...turned out grand when I got the final woodcut back from the engravers.


    *I know this is not strictly legal as League Regulations on the ticket stub specifically prohibit any reproductions in wood, plaster, marble or other materials of action from the game in progress. Luckily the stewards were too busy removing the tops from bottles of Ginger Ale to bother me! 

  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    Quite like the old days of CL

    *sobs quietly into horlicks*
  • creepyaddickcreepyaddick
    Didn't he star in a film with Will Hayes Haye Hay too!
  • Bournemouth AddickBournemouth Addick
    I remember Fred. We were in the same youth team together. Cracking fella but had his head turned by the ladies, or suffragettes as we called them back then.
  • paulsturgesspaulsturgess
    Wilson Lennox standing next to Whitlow in the cartoon was my great uncle... only Charlton player to score 5 goals in an away match..
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