June 29, 1922
On Thursday night a commemoration dinner was held to signify the great performance of the Liverpool team in winning the championship. There was a handsome gathering of shareholders. Mr. William Robert Williams, the chairman, presided.
A great honour was paid to the team of 1921-22. The players with the unavoidable exception of Elisha Scott sat at the centre table, and each was presented with a gold watch.
Equally interesting was the gathering of the League Championship team of 1905-6, all of whom were present looking very well. They were:
Sam Hardy, Alf West, Billy Dunlop, Tom Chorlton, Maurice Parry, Alex Raisbeck, James Bradley, Arthur Goddard, Robert Robinson, Joe Hewitt, Sam Raybould, John Cox, Jack Parkinson, and John Carlin.
Mr. W.R Williams proposed the principal toasts, the champions and the old champions. Mr. Williams recalled the 1906 victory, and reminded them that those were hard days in a financial sense. The celebration took place at the Carlton Rooms, and each shareholder was allotted three drink tickets, priced 3d.
“We hadn’t £20,000 in the bank in those days,” said Mr. Williams. He was glad to see the chairman and secretary of Everton F.C. as guests, and expressed the hope that Everton would have a good season.
In making the presentation of watches Mr. Williams named each player separately, and paid a happy tribute to all. Elisha Scott, he said, was absent through travelling difficulties, John McNab he named as Bob Ferguson’s protégé. Tom Bromilow he styled as successor to Harry Makepeace – a happy local coupling that was appreciated by all present.
He spoke feelingly of the captain, Donald Mackinay, and Ephraim Longworth and William Lacey, and expressed the hope that Lacey would be with them till they won the Cup. Tribute was also paid to the newly married forwards, Dick Forshaw and Fred Hopkin, and in the case of Harry Chambers Mr. Williams said he was the last played signed on by Tom Watson before his death in May, 1915.
Donald Mackinlay, in reply, said: “Well, gentlemen, this is not a game of mine, speechmaking, but I want to say how grateful and appreciative we are of the words and the watches. If you promise us such a good time as tonight when we win the Cup we will bring that elusive pimpernel to Liverpool.”
The team of 1906 was toasted, and tribute paid by Mr. Williams to William Connell, the trainer, George Fleming, who was unfortunately ill, Charlie Wilson and Arthur Riley. “Connell,” said Mr, Williams, “has grown white in the service of the club.”
There was much laughter at a story told if Alex Raisbeck. It appears that points were needed against Bury and the Albion for the team to success in the 1906 championship. At Bury things were not going well. Liverpool were attacking well up the field, with West and Dunlop joining the half-backs. All in a minute McLuckie careered off, and looked like scoring.
There seemed no one to stop him but Raisbeck fell from the clouds, and for once in his life committed a trip. Now Raisbeck and McLuckie came from the same part of Scotland, and when they got together at night McLuckie reminded Alec that it was a very bad foul that he had perpetrated:
“And ye ken,” said McLuckie. “I wasna goin’ to score.”
Alex replied. “Nae, nae, ye weren’t but I wasna giving ye a chance.”
(The Athletic News: August 3, 1922)
All images for the above article belongs to https://www.facebook.com/UnofficialLFCMuseum/
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"Play Up, Liverpool" 