Charlie Williams - Donny footballer - and comic

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

I thought one or two of you might be interested in this photo - it's Leyton Orient v Doncaster at Brisbane Road, September 1956. The three protagonists are Harry Gregg in goal for Rovers, the O's record goalscorer Tommy Johnston in the middle, and on the right it's Charlie Williams, known to most of us as a comedian in a 70's TV show of the same name, but here he's Donny's centre half. As he may have said in his Yorkshire accent (he was born just outside Barnsley in Royston in 1926) - "You all right, flower?"

Charlie was a black footballer in the 50's, a rarity for sure, who then became a comic on the Northern club circuit and finally national TV. One can only imagine what he'd had to go through to succeed on all those stages.


This was on eBay last week, I just couldn't resist it. Three famous 50's players; a hero of Munich, a goalscoring legend, and a comedian. Brilliant!

[BAZZERFOX42]

I once ran a hotel in Barnsley and Charlie Williams was a regular in the bar, and also saw him a couple of times when at Oakwell.
Shall we say he had an unusual personalilty ., and once petitioned to keep Robertsons Golliwog trademark

[drfc4ever]

Likewise, I bought that photo recently, as a Donny fan, you have a couple of legends in a cracking photo. Thanks for the additional info on the O’s player.
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Doncaster Rovers - Only a pub team having a laugh !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doncasterroversprogrammes/sets

www.doncasterroversfcprogrammes.com

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

drfc4ever wrote:

Likewise, I bought that photo recently, as a Donny fan, you have a couple of legends in a cracking photo. Thanks for the additional info on the O’s player.

drfc4ever, while I was watching this photo on eBay, an Orient man on Twitter put up a similar photo of this, the same 3 players, but not the same incident. My question to you is, and I hope you don't mind my asking, is your photo exactly the same as mine, or is it the other one (as here?)



I'm just interested as you don't get many exact duplicates.