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RIP Robert "Bob" Smith and a name the players

edited January 2018 in General Charlton
The museum were sent this by the son of Bob Smith, who it turns out is @HerneBayaddick

With his permission I'm sharing this because I think it is a great story about being an Addick and to mark his passing but also to get some helping naming the players in the photos.


"Hi Ben and other museum trustees,

Finally got around to sending you the two photos I thought would be of interest to you. They are both of past Charlton players in a social context. The one on the left is one you may have seen before. It was taken at The Running Horses pub in Erith. I’ve marked it as 1975/6. It was a charity darts match. No doubt you can pick out all the payers on the right of the photo and some of the darts players are Charlton supporters I believe. I was there that night although not playing darts. The rabbit mascot in the middle belongs to me. (You will have to take my word that he is red and white)!

The other is, I hope a bit rarer and of interest to aficionados. This photo belonged to my father, who died in April. It was taken in 1963 at The Corner Pin pub in Slade Green, my fathers local. He reliably informed me that it was the occasion of Mike Baileys 21st Birthday, although as you see, he does not feature in it. The chap in the middle with glasses is the landlord, Len Robinson. I believe he was a Charlton fan and also keen on other sports and you would see the likes of Henry Cooper visiting during this time. Anyway, on the back of the photo my dad has written who he believes the players are featured. I know two for definite. One from the right is Charlie Revell and third from the left is Fred Lucas, who lived in Slade Green for most of his life and was on neighbourly terms with my dad. He says that on the far left is Mike Kenning and on the far right is Peter Firmani. He has a question mark against the guy one from the left with the name Reed. I would be interested to know if someone there can confirm the identities.

Just wanted to say a bit about my dad. He died in April of pneumonia, although had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years. I’m not aware that he went to see Charlton as a boy but actually started going to The Valley in the late 1940’s. He may have started earlier but unfortunately for him he was away in Aden and Palestine serving his country during 1946/7 and therefore missed our finest hour, winning the FA Cup.

During the time my dad worked on the trolley buses and in the Royal docks he would go to great lengths to attend home games, going straight from a shift at work, still with his conductor’s uniform on. He first took me to The Valley when I was about 8. Although I don’t remember the match, I loved the atmosphere and standing on the front railings of the terraces to get a good view. For me, as for many other offspring, the die was cast. He stopped going to matches briefly when we got related in the 70’s to Division 3.However,his enthusiasm and optimism soon returned and even when the club found itself without a home in the 1980s, he would get a lift to Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon matches with a friend, then get back in time to go straight out to work on a Saturday evening.

No matter what the odds suggested, he invariably looked on the bright side. I managed to get him to matches up until 2 seasons ago, when his health made it too difficult to go. Even though his dementia prevented him from grasping the details of the match, just being there made his face light up and got great joy if, and when Charlton managed to score. Reporting back to him on a match he’d missed– it was our second, or maybe third, 3-0 home defeat of the season, I said I’m afraid we lost 3-0 dad. There was a slight pause, then he said ‘yeah but we were a bit unlucky weren’t we?’ The dementia may have blunted his judgement but his spirit was still intact.

On a personal note I am so glad it looks as though we are getting new owners. At the time my dads health was failing, I knew he would not be to attend many more games. Latterly I was taking him by wheelchair. In the end I had to make, what for me was a heart-breaking decision. I couldn’t take part in the various protests at home games and take my dad too. I decided he would understand that the future of the club he loved was more important than getting him there. I hated it and therefore Mr Duchatelet et all for putting me in that dilemma.

My dad will be on the roll call at the memorial game tomorrow. Robert ‘Bob’ Smith.

Thanks for reading

Happy New Year

Les Smith"

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Comments

  • Top l/r martin robinson following five dont know but then Jimmy giles colin powell keith peacock phil warmen could be hope from Newcastle peter hunt and in front tony burman.
  • It's Les Berry not Martin Robinson. Otherwise a good call.
  • Great story/photos -RIP Bob
  • Top l/r martin robinson following five dont know but then Jimmy giles colin powell keith peacock phil warmen could be hope from Newcastle peter hunt and in front tony burman.

    The guy at the back next to the CAFC chalk mark looks like Dave Young
  • edited January 2018
    Second left in bottom picture is goalkeeper Frank Reed.....understudy to Willie Duff.
    Played 29 games for us and died in 1975, at the tragically young age of 42!
  • Top photo, second left, Katrien Meire?
  • sorry to hear of your loss Les. some great photos and for you great memories.
    sad to hear about the last couple of years. hopefully very soon we'll be rid of Duchatelet.

    RIP Bob
  • Top l/r martin robinson following five dont know but then Jimmy giles colin powell keith peacock phil warmen could be hope from Newcastle peter hunt and in front tony burman.

    The guy at the back next to the CAFC chalk mark looks like Dave Young
    Daggs said:

    It's Les Berry not Martin Robinson. Otherwise a good call.

    I think that "Jimmy Giles" might, in fact, be Jeff Wood - who is, I believe, the current Gibraltar Manager.

  • Def Giles I think
  • kentred2 said:

    Def Giles I think

    Or to put it another way.....I think that is Def Giles.
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  • Paddy Powell just on his way to an audition for Abba
  • Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Peter Hunt, 2nd on the right. Don’t think Les BeckenBerry is in that picture
  • _MrDick said:

    Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Peter Hunt, 2nd on the right. Don’t think Les BeckenBerry is in that picture

    Far left surely.
  • Fred Lucas in second photo
  • Don't think that it is Les Berry. Does look like David Young at the back though.
  • Thanks for sharing. The Running Horses was my dad's local at the time. Great to see the faces from that era.
  • Proud to say that I played against two of those in the photos. Jimmy Giles at cricket when he played for Kenn in Devon. He hit me for six, although our keeper missed an easy stumping the ball before. Jimmy was coming up from Exeter to play for Charlton and told us that he was about to sign for Charlton. He asked us what Charlton was like.

    Also, I was opposing goalkeeper to Frank Reed, when he appeared (I think) for Nat West Vets in what I think was one of his last games. I was not a veteran at the time, I was a last minute replacement for our regular keeper who cried off late.
  • I might be wrong, but I don't think that is Mike Kenning on the far left in the second photo. Anyone else think it is him?
  • Pretty sure that's Les Berry far left
  • I might be wrong, but I don't think that is Mike Kenning on the far left in the second photo. Anyone else think it is him?

    Agree that’s not MK.
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  • Addickted said:

    Pretty sure that's Les Berry far left

    Agree......a very young LB.
  • _MrDick said:

    Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Peter Hunt, 2nd on the right. Don’t think Les BeckenBerry is in that picture

    Far left surely.
    I stand corrected ... I now recognise his nose and tache
  • _MrDick said:

    Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Peter Hunt, 2nd on the right. Don’t think Les BeckenBerry is in that picture

    Possibly George Hope behind Peter Hunt?
  • So,the one that seems to have us all stumped is far left bottom photo?
  • It

    So,the one that seems to have us all stumped is far left bottom photo?

    Could it possibly be Peter Wakeham, the photo might be a bit early for him though.
  • edited January 2018
    lockquote class="Quote" rel="SoundAsa£">So,the one that seems to have us all stumped is far left bottom photo?

    Could it possibly be Peter Wakeham, the photo might be a bit early for him though.
  • _MrDick said:

    Don’t think anyone’s mentioned Peter Hunt, 2nd on the right. Don’t think Les BeckenBerry is in that picture

    Yes he is
  • Thanks to Henry Irving for putting these photos up on CL and suggesting I share a bit about my dad.
    Thanks for the contributions so far, particularly SoundAsa£ for confirming Frank Reed in the 1963 photo. As far as the chap on the far left is concerned, my dad had written Mike Kenning on the back but that could well be incorrect. Any ideas welcome.
    For clarification on the 70's Running Horses photo, I believe all the Charlton players are to the right, namely Jimmy Giles, Keith Peacock, George Hope at the back and Paddy Powell, Phil Warman and Peter Hunt at the front. The characters in the left are the pubs darts team playing for charity. Maybe one of those is on here somewhere?
  • Sorry for your loss @HerneBayaddick
  • Is it possibly Eamon Rogers crouching down at the front of the top photo?

    Moving story HBA - may you have many happy memories. The "we were a bit unlucky weren't we?" Is just classic. Brilliant.
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