Advertising Signs

Collectors of Dulwich Hamlet memorabilia will be very interested in a bunch of posters currently up for auction on the Ebay website.

The posters are all from the 1960s advertising matches played at Champion Hill at a time when Corinthian-Casuals were groundsharing with Dulwich. The 1965 Boxing Day fixture between the two sides is advertised on the same poster as Cor-Cas v Torpoint in the FA Amateur Cup 1st round on New Year’s Day 1966.

One poster reveals a real busy week at Champion Hill with Cor-Cas at home to Maidstone United on the Tuesday followed by Dulwich v Wimbledon on the Wednesday, both games in the Isthmian League. On the Thursday the Hamlet Reserves are at home to Maidstone Reserves and then Saturday Dulwich entertain WalthamstowAvenue in the 1^st qualifying round of the FA Cup.

One cup game v Whitley Bay is advertised on two separate posters with different dates. Seven days apart, we can only assume (without looking it up) that the earlier fixture (23 January 1965) was postponed until the following week.

Several Amateur Internationals were held at the ground during the sixties including England v Netherlands and Great Britain or England v New Zealand. (Not sure what that one is all about!)

Arguably, the most interesting and collectible poster is the one advertising the game against Chelsea. This game was a friendly to celebrate the opening of the floodlights at Champion Hill in October 1964. Chelsea at the time were league leaders, and manager Tommy Docherty’s full strength side came along to play the match which they comfortably won 3-0 in front of a 4,000 crowd.

The Chelsea side was made up of household names such as goalkeeper Peter Bonnetti, Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, Barry Bridges, Johnny Hollins and Bobby Tambling. Second half substitutes included Peter Osgood, George Graham and Peter Houseman. For Dulwich Hamlet: Dave Darvill, John Hammond, Reg Merritt, Mike Woollard, Denis Joyce, James Day, Roy Wootton, Steve Dunwoody, George Nash, Albert Modesto and Dave Le Grice.

Dulwich Hamlet v Chelsea Ticket

Interestingly Roy Wooten attends most Dulwich Hamlet matches, home and away, and often stands with the supporters behind the goal getting behind the current team.

The auction for the Dulwich Hamlet v Chelsea poster can be found here. Auction finishes on 2 April 2016. Click on ‘See other items’ in the link for the bother posters.

England at Champion Hill

Between 1933 and 1971 Sixteen of England’s amateur international matches were played at Champion Hill. Dulwich Hamlet’s very own Cecil Murray and Edgar Kail featured in the first match versus Scotland in front of an 18,000 crowd.

Other Hamlet players to represent England at their home ground included Haydn Hill, Horace Robbins, Bill Parr, Reg Anderson and Les Brown. 

Poster advertising the 1966 Amateur International at Champion Hill

25 March 1933       

England 1 Scotland 0        

18,000

23 March 1935       

England 2 Scotland 1        

9,000

13 March 1937       

England 0 Scotland 1        

18,000

11 March 1939       

England 8 Scotland 3        

14,000

25 January 1947    

England 2 Wales 2                   

12,000

29 March 1948       

England 2 Netherlands 5 

21 April 1956          

England 3 France 1         

15,000

11 October 1958   

England 3 Finland 2       

7,500

5 March 1960         

England 1 W. Germany 1 

9,000

29 April 1961          

England 2 France 0            

6,500

29 Sept 1962           

England 3 N. Ireland 2      

7,500

16 April 1964          

England 4 New Zealand 1 

4,000 

Match abandoned after 70 minutes due to rain

19 Nov 1966           

England 1 Netherlands 0 

22 October 1969   

England 1 Spain 2             

20 March 1970       

England 1 Scotland 0       

17 February 1971 

England 1 France 1        

A full list of England's Amateur International matches and players can be found here.

Wonderful Wonderful Kjobenhavns

Wonderful

 Wonderful

Kjobenhavns

During the Easter break of 1927 the Dulwich Hamlet first team squad enjoyed a short tour to Copenhagen (Kjobenhavns) the capital of Denmark, where they partook in three matches. First up was Kjobenhavns Boldklub (KB), one of the oldest, if not the oldest, clubs on the continent.

Since the inception of the Danish League in 1913, KB had won the championships six times. Dulwich, however, were the stronger team and won the match 1-0. The visitors from South London then faced Danish League champions Boldklubben 1903, which produced a 3-3 draw.

For the final match the two local teams joined forces, but the combined eleven could only
draw the match 2-2.

Over fifty years later in the early 1990s the two clubs eventually merged altogether to form FC Copenhagen of the Danish Superliga.



A dinner was held in the players’ honour on Easter Monday 18 April 1927. An actual menu from the evening was sent to me in 2007 by Bryan Lewis, whose father George Lewis played in the games. George Lewis finished the season as leading marksman with 35 goals, one more than the legendary Edgar Kail.

A nice touch to the players’ dinner is the Danes naming the dessert ‘Fersken Hamlet’. Peaches and cream, presumably.

The reverse of the menu is signed by all those who participated in the matches. Most  of the Dulwich Hamlet signatures are in the top left corner. See how many you can decipher.

The Dulwich Hamlet Club Badge in 1927

Original article from HH19 Winter 2007
Copyright © Jack McInroy

Alfred Solly : Solid goalkeeping but sullied record

 Alfred Solly - Dulwich Hamlet in 1929

During the 1930s the dominant football team in the country was the Arsenal. Their continued success was mainly due to one man – manager Herbert Chapman – who despite passing away midway through the decade, left a lasting legacy.  One of the game’s great innovators and visionaries, today his statue stands outside the Emirates Stadium.

In the 1928/29 season Chapman attended one of the many representative games played by the diminutive yet brilliant Dulwich Hamlet goalkeeper Alfred Solly.  It may have been the Amateurs v Professionals match at Millwall, or even the England v Wales amateur international at Brighton. Solly was in great demand and at the top of his game, and regarded by many as one of the best keepers in the country.

So impressed was Chapman with the agility and skill of the young custodian, that he collared him after the match, and insisted that if Solly ever thought about becoming a professional he would be very welcome down at the Arsenal. Solly promised the older gentleman that if it ever came to it, he would undoubtedly consider the Arsenal before all others.

Fast forward to August 1931 and we find Alfred William Solly, doing exactly that, signing professional forms with the North London club. In doing so, he became only the fourth player since the First World War to join the ranks of the professionals: Pilkington went to Fulham, Bellamy to Spurs and Fishlock to Crystal Palace. It was a dream move for the youngster, and the officers at Dulwich Hamlet went out of their way to assist him, making sure he received the best terms possible.
However, for some reason it did not work out for him, and he failed to break into the Arsenal first team. He eventually left for Newport County, where he made 38 appearances. Spells at Portsmouth and Aldershot followed.

The Magnet, 9th January 1932

Alfred Solly was a bit of an all-rounder. He actually started out as a forward player in the Dulwich Hamlet Junior side, but went in goal one day when the usual chap missed his train! There was no turning back, and apart from the very odd occasion when he played outfield for Dulwich, he had switched to goalkeeping for good. His natural skill between the posts became quite apparent, and he soon began to receive valuable tips from his famous predecessor ‘Tim’ Coleman, and before long he was the club’s first choice keeper.

He also excelled as a cricketer. It was said of him on his departure from Champion Hill to the Arsenal, that he was the finest batsman Dulwich Hamlet had produced since the war. “We confidently expect him to gain a place in the Surrey County side if given the opportunity.” That did not happen, but he did continue playing for the Dulwich Hamlet Cricket Club for many years.
His popularity on and off the field can be seen in the way he is described in various tributes:  mild mannered, charming, modest, cheery, a good sense of humour, an optimistic spirit. So it is quite alarming to learn that Alfred Solly ended up with a criminal record and did a spell in prison!

In later life he lived in Priory Grove, South Lambeth, and worked as a wages clerk for the George Cowan Six Hundred Group of Scrap Metal Merchants.  Sadly he got mixed up in some very dodgy dealings and was arrested and found guilty of embezzlement, and served three years in Wormwood Scrubs Prison. He died of a heart attack on Christmas Day 1954 aged just 48. The Dulwich Hamlet programme for 8 January 1955 paid tribute to their former player, noting: “He has been one of the mainstays of the Cricket Club for many years and will be greatly missed by us all. To his wife Marjorie and his family, we extend our deepest sympathy.”



Original article from HH25 Spring 2014
Copyright © Jack McInroy