A souvenir from Salford rugby history has been discovered after the death of one of the club’s oldest fans.
Jimmy Rushby, who supported the team from the age of five, passed away in Salford in early January.
Read: Tributes paid to Salford war hero and legend Jimmy Rushby, who dies age 89
The former Royal Navy man, who served in the Second World War and was present in the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombings, was a mad keen supporter of Salford rugby club – now Salford Red Devils.
His team’s most famous victory was winning the 1938 Rugby League Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, beating Barrow by seven points to four.
Now a delicate, crumpled pamphlet handed out to supporters on that fateful day has come to light.
Jimmy’s son Peter discovered the single sheet while going through his fathers affairs after his death on 7 January this year.
The acrostic poem reads: “We have killed the old time bogey, We’ve forgotten all the past, The Salford team have proved supreme, In the rugby cup at last”.
Credited to a Tommy Bannister, the poem is split into three chapters and the first, under the headline “WELL”, highlights the merits of such players as Barney Hudson and Harold Osbaldestin.
The second chapter starts with the words “PLAYED” and manages to squeeze in mentions of Albert Gear, Bob Brown, Allan Edwards, Billy Watkins, Gus Risman, and Billy Williams.
The final chapter begins with “SALFORD” and once again the names of the players are cleverly woven into the poem including: Hubert Day, Dai Davies, Paddy Dalton, Jacky Feetham, Jimmy Dawson and team manager Lance Todd.
This pamphlet should surely be a famous part of rugby league history and perhaps donated to a museum?
We can only assume that these freesheets were given away either in a local newspaper or at The Willows as a reminder of that famous day.
Salford rugby club historian Graham Morris told SalfordOnline.com that while he had never seen this 1938 relic, he was aware of a similar pamphlet dating from 1933 by the same author.
It was the year that Salford won their first championship – one of three they would triumph with in that decade.
It follows a similar style, weaving the names of the players and their trainer Jerry Dawson into the fabric of the poem.
Mr Bannister, Graham believes, was a former professional footballer who played for both Manchester City and Everton.
Can any of our readers tell us any more about these rare and important pieces of memorabilia?
If you have a piece of rugby league history you’d like SalfordOnline.com to feature, please email tonyflynn@salfordonline.com.
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