Club Historian Ron Parrott has been under considerable pressure since the demise of HUFC concerning the publication of his new book “The Definitive History of Hereford United” and has given Bulls News the following statement:-
“I have been compiling the complete history for many years now and at long last I have full playing records of every match and team line-up since that very first Birmingham Combination match back in 1924. It’s been a mammoth task and because I’m determined that it’s going to be a definitive history, I’ve not rushed into publishing it but people are now pushing me for a publication date. The bottom line is that I’ve made the decision to split it into two volumes, Volume 1 taking us from 1924/25 to 1971/72 and Volume 2 from 1972/73 to the sad events of 2014/15. Volume 3 will then start at the beginning of next season.
My major problem has been pre-war, which has been a nightmare because newspapers in those days never credited anyone with a Christian name, they were just called by their surname so you can imagine the problems I’ve had with Smiths & Jones’s! There are far too many pre-war players to list but if anyone out there has knowledge of any relative that may have played for United between 1924/25 and 1939/40, please do contact me either via Bulls News or at ron.parrott@tiscali.co.uk
“I have been compiling the complete history for many years now and at long last I have full playing records of every match and team line-up since that very first Birmingham Combination match back in 1924. It’s been a mammoth task and because I’m determined that it’s going to be a definitive history, I’ve not rushed into publishing it but people are now pushing me for a publication date. The bottom line is that I’ve made the decision to split it into two volumes, Volume 1 taking us from 1924/25 to 1971/72 and Volume 2 from 1972/73 to the sad events of 2014/15. Volume 3 will then start at the beginning of next season.
My major problem has been pre-war, which has been a nightmare because newspapers in those days never credited anyone with a Christian name, they were just called by their surname so you can imagine the problems I’ve had with Smiths & Jones’s! There are far too many pre-war players to list but if anyone out there has knowledge of any relative that may have played for United between 1924/25 and 1939/40, please do contact me either via Bulls News or at ron.parrott@tiscali.co.uk
However, post-war I am determined to compile a pen-pic on every player to have turned out in a first-team fixture for United or at the very least to find out the players’ Christian names. So please, if anyone out there has any information whatsoever on any of the following players, I would be eternally grateful and you could be helping me to bring forward the publication date of my book:-
1945/46:-
Astley (goalkeeper x 1 appearance)
Brookfield (right-half x 1 appearance, serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Goldswain (inside-left x 1 appearance, a Flight Lieutenant from Swansea, serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Gray, M (x 1 appearance, serving with the Army locally with the 23rd Holding Battalion)
Harris, J (a goalkeeper x 1 appearance, a local lad from Ledbury serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Harrison, W J (a right-half x 1 appearance)
Hunt (an inside-forward x 1 appearance, on the books of Chesham FC)
Jackson, I (x 1 appearance, serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Jones, N E (an inside-left x 1 appearance, on the books of Aston Villa)
Rumph (a right-back x 1 appearance)
Sandford (a centre-forward x 1 appearance)
Swinnerton, J (a goalkeeper x 1 appearance serving with the Army locally)
Vickers, S (a left-back x 1 appearance, was with Denaby United)
Wall (x 1 appearance, previously with Rotherham Reserves, was serving as a Corporal with 23rd Holding Battalion locally)
White (a right-back x 1 appearance, serving with the Army locally)
1946/47:-
Alexander (a left-half x 1 appearance)
Clark(e), T (United’s third-choice keeper)
D’Arcy (a wing-half x 5 appearances, on the books of Wolves)
Davies (an inside-right x 1 appearance)
Jones, M (a left-winger x 1 appearance)
McDowell (a right-winger x 1 appearance)
McGowan, I (a right-winger x 2 appearances)
Marsh (a centre-half x 1 appearance)
Perks, B (a full-back x 2 appearances)
Sambrook, T (a centre-half x 1 appearance)
Tallant (a centre-forward, previously with Oxford City)
Wright, G (an inside-left x 1 appearance)
1947/48:-
Price, H T (a centre-forward x 1 appearance. Previously with Oldham but serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
1948/49:-
Apperley, D A (a reserve player? No appearances)
Gaydon (a left-winger x 1 appearance. A Welsh lad from Cwm)
1949/50:-
Barrett, V (a full-back signed from Haverfordwest, was with Birmingham City in 1942 and played for Wales in a representative match)
Chandler, G (a burly centre-half from Reading)
Donovan, J (an outside-left with Stonehouse FC, spent 2 months on trial at Newport County last season)
Thanks to Bulls News as ever for maintaining such an excellent site and for helping me out with this request”
1945/46:-
Astley (goalkeeper x 1 appearance)
Brookfield (right-half x 1 appearance, serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Goldswain (inside-left x 1 appearance, a Flight Lieutenant from Swansea, serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Gray, M (x 1 appearance, serving with the Army locally with the 23rd Holding Battalion)
Harris, J (a goalkeeper x 1 appearance, a local lad from Ledbury serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Harrison, W J (a right-half x 1 appearance)
Hunt (an inside-forward x 1 appearance, on the books of Chesham FC)
Jackson, I (x 1 appearance, serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
Jones, N E (an inside-left x 1 appearance, on the books of Aston Villa)
Rumph (a right-back x 1 appearance)
Sandford (a centre-forward x 1 appearance)
Swinnerton, J (a goalkeeper x 1 appearance serving with the Army locally)
Vickers, S (a left-back x 1 appearance, was with Denaby United)
Wall (x 1 appearance, previously with Rotherham Reserves, was serving as a Corporal with 23rd Holding Battalion locally)
White (a right-back x 1 appearance, serving with the Army locally)
1946/47:-
Alexander (a left-half x 1 appearance)
Clark(e), T (United’s third-choice keeper)
D’Arcy (a wing-half x 5 appearances, on the books of Wolves)
Davies (an inside-right x 1 appearance)
Jones, M (a left-winger x 1 appearance)
McDowell (a right-winger x 1 appearance)
McGowan, I (a right-winger x 2 appearances)
Marsh (a centre-half x 1 appearance)
Perks, B (a full-back x 2 appearances)
Sambrook, T (a centre-half x 1 appearance)
Tallant (a centre-forward, previously with Oxford City)
Wright, G (an inside-left x 1 appearance)
1947/48:-
Price, H T (a centre-forward x 1 appearance. Previously with Oldham but serving with the RAF at Credenhill)
1948/49:-
Apperley, D A (a reserve player? No appearances)
Gaydon (a left-winger x 1 appearance. A Welsh lad from Cwm)
1949/50:-
Barrett, V (a full-back signed from Haverfordwest, was with Birmingham City in 1942 and played for Wales in a representative match)
Chandler, G (a burly centre-half from Reading)
Donovan, J (an outside-left with Stonehouse FC, spent 2 months on trial at Newport County last season)
Thanks to Bulls News as ever for maintaining such an excellent site and for helping me out with this request”