Victor Watson

[tommyc]

This is a question for burger monster Haydn really or anyone else at Wellingborough and goes way back in history.

West Ham United's all time leading goal scorer is a guy called Victor Watson who signed for West Ham from Wellingborough Town in March 1920. He went onto score 326 goals in 505 appearances for the irons and scored 4 times in his 5 England caps.

It would seem that Wellingborough signed Watson from Brotherhoods in Peterborough, which is the club at which I have recently moved to, though we are now known as Peterborough Sports. I wonder if anyone has any information on this transfer in terms of when it took place etc.?

I have also been informed that Brotherhoods started life in the Northants League in 1908 before joining the Peterborough League in 1919. If anyone could point me in the right direction to find out how the club fared in this era that would be great too

[bubbles]

tommyc - Victor Watson played for a team called Brotherhood Engineering Works (presume that is the team you mention) prior to enlisting into the British Army during WWI. After the war he signed for Wellingborough Town and the rest you know.

Hope this helps

Regards - Bubbles

[tommyc]

Thanks Bubbles - as Victor was born on November 10th 1897 he must then have been mighty young both when he played for Brotherhoods and when fighting in World War 1 - story becomes more and more interesting!

This guy played in the first FA Cup final in 1923 at Wembley for West Ham v Bolton and apparently there is a plaque in his home village of Girton in Cambridgeshire commemerating his career.

Apologies but I am a bit of a history buff, so if anyone has any record of Brotherhoods Engineering Works in the early, or indeed any, part of the last century I would be delighted to hear from you.

[Lankie]

Peterborough Brotherhood played in the Northants league from 1919 to 1923.
Winning the league in 1919-20 P20W14D3L3F46A19Pts31
The following season 8th of 13-P24-9-4-11-48-44-22
In 1921-22 were 14th 0f 16 - P30-5-7-18-35-73-17
and in 1922-23 were 8th of17- P32-12-8-12-61-63-32
In 1923-24 Fletton United were renamed Peterborough & Fletton Utd and their reserves replaced their first team in the Northants League whilst a new team called Peterborough City withdrew after playing just five games.

Details courtesy Bob Perkins "The League Tables of the United Counties League 1895 to2006"

[tommyc]

Thanks very much for this - much appreciated, and I see that Bob Perkins also did the Peterborough League from 1902 so should be able to comply the clubs full history.

I was told that Brotherhoods once played Peterborough & Fletton in front of 3000 people at our Lincoln Road ground and Spurs in front of 4000 before the 2nd World War when apparently there was a stand down the whole of one side of the ground but not yet been able to find any evidence of this?

[tommyc]

The plot thickens! Able to ascertain that Victor Watson played for Brotherhoods at the outbreak of World War 1 so would have been just 17. Unfortunately the Peterborough League Records before that war do not show Brotherhoods as members.

Lankiie might need some more help. Our current Chairman Colin Day seems to think that the club was formed in 1908? Do you know if they played in the Northants or UCL League before the first world war?

Still no luck tracing the 2 games above either - might have call time on it soon as have a life to lead!

[Lankie]

The Peterborough sides in the league during that period were :- 1) Fletton Utd 1905-23 and Peterborough & Fletton Utd Res 1923-33 . This I understand is the current Peterborough Utd club. 2)Peterborough Town 1904-07. 3)Peterborough City 1907-10 Peterborough City Res 1910-11 & 1913-14. 4) Peterborough Amateurs 1912-13. 5) Peterborough GN Locos 1901-11.
No mention of Peterborough Brotherhood before 1919.