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John Fairful RIP

Henry Irving
Henry Irving Posts: 85,236
edited April 2018 in General Charlton
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.

RIPimage

image

Comments

  • Solidgone
    Solidgone Posts: 10,212
    Up the Addicks!
  • superclive98
    superclive98 Posts: 4,780
    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
    stonemuse Posts: 34,015
    Lovely story
  • cafcdave123
    cafcdave123 Posts: 11,491
    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
    Brendan_O_Connell Posts: 8,938
    RIP
  • Elthamaddick
    Elthamaddick Posts: 15,819
    would you even be allowed to take that in the ground these days, or would it be classed as a weapon....
  • ricky_otto
    ricky_otto Posts: 22,600
    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
    rananegra Posts: 3,692
    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
    cabbles Posts: 15,256
    RIP John
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,236
    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.

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  • Starinnaddick
    Starinnaddick Posts: 4,345
    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.

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