Coleford Baptist Guild 1918-1919

Back row: C. Hinton, E. R. Pearce, T. Tyler, W. H. Davies, J. Payne, W. Tyler, A. S. Cole, E. J. Dowle.
Seated row: J. Tyler, T. Smith, H. J. Baldwin, H. Dowle, A. Dowler (Vice Captn). Rev. Lovat Jones (President), B. Wintle (Captn.), F. E. Court, P. Payne, J. Cleed,
Seated on grass: F. Fowler, B. M. Thomas.

David wrote : "Please find attached a pic of Coleford Baptist Guild Football Team from 1918-19 which includes both my father, Harold Dowle, and one of my uncles, Ernie Dowle. There are some well known Colefordians in the team including Fred Fowler who worked for Terrett Taylor and then opened his own hardware shop when Terrett Taylor closed down. One of the things that strikes you is that they're mainly young men which I guess is a result of the war that had just finished; my father would have been 17 years old when this was taken. In the background is what looks like Bell's Grammar School - this would fit as I recall Dad saying they played in a field in the valley below the school and Vicarage and Parish Rooms site. This was more or less adjacent to Dr Battle's house and surgery. The area, is, of course, now covered by the shopping centre and the sheltered housing complex.  I was just looking the pic of the Ricketts family that John had submitted and see that Lottie Ricketts married F. Court which I suspect is the same F.E. Court as is in the football photo - Frank Court as I recall and they lived in Albert Road.". 

Gill Knowles added (Oct 2009): "... Having studied old family photographs I believe the young man sitting on the left is not my dad Fred Fowler, but his elder brother Frank who would have been about 15 in 1918, whereas Fred would have been only 8 years old. Also I remember Dad telling us that he was not allowed to have a pair of long trousers until he started work at Terrett Taylors at the age of 14".

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