In memory of yesterday’s heroes

Saturday morning in Liverpool, match day, the sun is shining, the people are happy and rushing down town to do some shopping. Maybe, I have should have let my wife go shopping, maybe we should have gone with the flow, but this was “my” weekend, and since my wife is the only one with a driver license – off to Anfield cemetery we went.

With some expert help we located the graves of Tom Watson, Ned Doig and William Barclay. Ned is the only grave with a headstone of the three mentioned. It is a very beautiful headstone indeed. Liverpool F.C. and Sunderland F.C., in co-operation with Watson’s family in USA, are in close discussion in raising a headstone for Tom Watson, and two very honourable Liverpool F.C. historians have gone together to raise a headstone for Barclay. As far as I understand the headstones will be in their place in the near future.

I was told that William Barclay is in a pauper grave. Barclay was honourable secretary of Liverpool Football Club for three years between 1892 and 1895. While with Liverpool he was also connected with the Lancashire FA. Barclay arrived in Liverpool early in 1880 to be a governor at the Everton Industrial School at Everton Terrace. He kept this position until the late 1890s. At the turn of the century something went wrong (we do not know what, yet). At some point he started using the surname Morton instead of Barclay, and in late February 1917 he was found dead at his house. In census reports from 1901 and 1911 his title is “gentleman”, which should mean he was of wealth, but he died a poor and lonely man, and ended in a pauper grave. Most likely he is buried with four other adults and up to 20 infants. It is a sad story, but with a headstone we should be able to remember Barclay at his best.

Next stop was Toxteth cemetery at Smithdown Road. After spending an hour trying to locate grave number 149 on the “E” field we finally understood the outlay of the map rom 1964. It also helped that there was a matching number at the back of the headstones. John McKenna’s final resting place shows evidence of a much loved sports personality who passed away back in 1936.

Pictures from John McKenna’s final resting place at Toxteth cemetery.

Pictures of Ned Doig’s final resting place at Anfield cemetery.

Picture of Tom Watson’s final resting place at Anfield cemetery. A headstone will be raised where I am standing.

Picture of the place where the pauper grave where William Barclay lays at Anfield cemetery. Also here a headstone will be raised where I am standing.