John Fairful RIP

Henry Irving

We get a lot of donations to the museum.

Some are valuable because of their monetary value.

Some are linked to famous players or managers.

But some are important because of the story they tell.

Today in the museum I opened an envelope and pulled out a rattle.

With it was this letter.

I never met John but that doesn't matter because we all know a John.

RIP

Solidgone

Up the Addicks!

superclive98

I had a rattle very similar to that in the early 70s. Not sure if it was made for me by my dad or whether it was one that he had kept from when he was a kid. What I do know is that it was really solid and made an absolute racket.

stonemuse

Lovely story

cafcdave123

Not just a lovely story (it genuinely reminds us all about growing up a football fan, rattle/peanuts/green and purple quaser shirts/and many things before, during and after) but shows how amazing the museum is, without the graft they do, that , amongst other treasures, would sadly be binned

Brendan_O_Connell

RIP

Elthamaddick

would you even be allowed to take that in the ground these days, or would it be classed as a weapon....

ricky_otto

Elthamaddick said:

would you even be allowed to take that in the ground these days, or would it be classed as a weapon....

Should be ok, we had 10 lumps of wood on the pitch Saturday.

rananegra

Lovely story, RIP John.
What I like about this story is it shows the resourcefulness of previous generations. Nowadays, if rattles were fashionable, a company would make them cheap in the Far East and ship them in and they'd sell for a fiver online. This rattle was made by a father for his son. We don't know how practical he was, how good at woodwork, but in the early 60s there were a lot more things people made themselves. His father will have sanded, smoothed and painted it to encourage his football mad son. I'd like to imagine they both got joy out of the rattle, in the making and the using.
A lovely object and the Museum is a fitting place for it. If there's ever a "History of Charlton Athletic in 100 Objects" this should feature.

cabbles

RIP John

Henry Irving

rananegra said:

Lovely story, RIP John.
What I like about this story is it shows the resourcefulness of previous generations. Nowadays, if rattles were fashionable, a company would make them cheap in the Far East and ship them in and they'd sell for a fiver online. This rattle was made by a father for his son. We don't know how practical he was, how good at woodwork, but in the early 60s there were a lot more things people made themselves. His father will have sanded, smoothed and painted it to encourage his football mad son. I'd like to imagine they both got joy out of the rattle, in the making and the using.
A lovely object and the Museum is a fitting place for it. If there's ever a "History of Charlton Athletic in 100 Objects" this should feature.

The history of Charlton Athletic in 23 Objects has already been written.

Its author just needs to get his finger out and get it published.

Starinnaddick

I ve still got one of these rattles. For a giggle l took it down the local one Sunday when the football was on tv and it made a right old racket. Surprising how loud they are.