1900s

The summer of 1900 was a pivotal moment in the history of our Football Club.

Five years after being formed as Thames Ironworks, the Club was wound-up, resigned from the Southern League, ‘reorganised’, reborn, renamed as West Ham United and re-entered the Southern League for the 1900/01 season.

In late 1899, the owner of Thames Ironworks, Arnold Hills, acquired engineering firm John Penn & Sons in a takeover. To raise capital to finance the deal, Hills decided to turn the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company into a public company, preventing him from using company money to fund Thames Ironworks FC in the future.

Proposals for a ‘reorganisation’ were published in the spring of 1900, with supporters being offered the chance to buy shares to fund the new Club, which would be a limited liability company in its own right. It was initially hoped that at least 2,000 would buy shares but even the ten-shilling price was out of the reach of many local people.

In April, Hills agreed to contribute £500 and use of the Ironworks’ Memorial Grounds home ground, provided another £500 was raised by the sale of 500 shares priced at £1 each, and that every player signed by the new Club must be a teetotaller.

In June, Thames Ironworks FC was wound up and resigned from the Southern League.

On 5 July, the new company was registered as ‘West Ham United Football Club Limited’ at 55 Barking Road, Canning Town, with a capital of £2,000 (4,000 shares at ten shillings each). Hills purchased 1,000 shares and remained the major influence at the Club, but the requirement of players to be teetotal was later rescinded.

The first Chairman was listed as C.E. (Cornelius) Osborn and directors as A. (Aitken) Brown, J. Byford, J.W.Y. Cearns, A.C. Davis, G.C. (George) Fundell, G.C. Handley, G.J. Hone, L. Johnson and E. Smith. The first Board meeting was held at that address on 9 July 1900.

The Morning Leader newspaper explained: “The prospectus of the new limited liability company, to be known under the title of the West Ham Football Club Company Limited is at hand. The primary object will be to encourage and promote the game of football in West Ham and district, and powers have also been taken by the company authorising them at any time to acquire land and other property.”

“The Directors propose to make the following charges, to shareholders only, for season-tickets for the football season 1900/01: admission to ground and open stand, 7s 6d, admission to ground, enclosure and grandstand 10s 6d and 12s 6d respectively.”

The Directors’ first task was to recruit Abraham ‘Abe’ Norris as trainer at 35 shillings per week (£1.75p). Lew Bowen, a clerk at the Thames Iron Works & Shipbuilding Company, became the new Club secretary.

A number of the players from Thames Ironworks were taken on, including some still employed at the shipyard, namely goalkeeper Tommy Moore, defenders Syd King, Charlie Craig, Charlie Dove and George Neil, half-backs Bob Allan and Roderick McEachrane, winger Bob Allan and forwards Fred Corbett, Frank Taylor and Len Walker.

A number of new signings were made, too, including Billy Grassam and Jimmy Reid (both from Port Vale), Hugh Monteith (Bristol City), Fergus Hunt (Arsenal), Freddie Fenton (Gainsborough Trinity), George Radcliffe (Grimsby Town), Albert Kaye and Walter Tranter (both Chatham Town).

However, the previous season’s three leading goalscorers, Bill Joyce (to Portsmouth), Albert Carnelly (Millwall Athletic) and Ken McKay (Fulham), all departed.

The new squad began training at the Memorial Grounds and played their first practice match there on Thursday 23 August 1900, with the ‘Colours’ winning 2-1 against the ‘Whites’.

West Ham United’s first handbook explained that it would field two teams, with the seniors in the Southern League – taking Thames Ironworks’ place in the First Division – and the reserves competing in the London League and South Essex League.

The Southern League season kicked-off on Saturday 1 September 1900 with a home fixture with Gravesend United at the Memorial Grounds, where nearly 3,000 spectators braved drizzling rain to witness West Ham United’s first competitive fixture.

No fewer than seven debutants were in the home eleven – goalkeeper Monteith, half-backs Raisbeck and McEachrane, wingers Hunt and Fenton, inside forwards Grassam and Kaye and centre-forward Reid – but West Ham showed plenty of teamwork in a thumping 7-0 win.

There was some uncertainty over the scorers, with the newspapers of the time suggesting Reid scored four goals, Grassam two and Hunt one. Subsequently, historians believe Grassam scored four, Reid two and Hunt one.

Another notable change were the new kit colours worn by the West Ham players – light blue shirts, white shorts with claret stripes and black socks.

After such an emphatic opening-day win, the Teetotallers – as they were nicknamed in their early months – lost 3-1 at Millwall Athletic on the Isle of Dogs the following weekend in front of a 10,000 crowd.

West Ham remained inconsistent for the remainder of 1900, never winning or losing more than two Southern League matches in a row.

There was success in the FA Cup, though, with wins over Olympic, New Brompton and Clapton Orient seeing the Hammers through to the intermediate round. There, they met Football League First Division opponents Liverpool in front of 6,000 at the Memorial Grounds on 5 January 1901.

West Ham gave a good account of themselves against their illustrious visitors, but lost full-back Craig to a serious injury making a challenge on Jack Cox in the build-up to Liverpool’s goal, which was scored by Sam Reybould. Several defenders protested, but the referee allowed the goal and Liverpool won 1-0.

This being the days before substitutes, the Hammers were forced to play on with ten men, which they did heroically, but they were ultimately unable to score an equaliser and force a replay at Anfield.

Seventeen days later, Queen Victoria died at the age of 81. The Football Association called for matches to be postponed on the Saturday following her death. However, the Southern League objected to this directive on the grounds that this was an infringement of a professionals’ right to earn a living. West Ham’s game with Watford on 26 January was one of only four Southern League fixtures that went ahead, with Grassam scoring in a 1-0 win.

The second half of the season proved productive, with nine wins and just two defeats from 14 Southern League matches played. The Memorial Grounds were breached just twice all season, by Bristol City and Tottenham, and a final-day home win over New Brompton secured a sixth-place finish in the 14-team table.

In early March 1901, interesting reports were published that West Ham could merge with their local Southern League rivals Millwall Athletic, whose home at The Athletic Grounds on the Isle of Dogs were to be turned into a timber yard by their landlords, the Millwall Dock Company. The merger never took place and Millwall Athletic moved to a new ground named North Greenwich, also on the Isle of Dogs, in the summer of 1901, before relocating south of the River Thames to The Den in 1910.

Grassam finished as the leading scorer with 15 goals – 12 in the league and three in the FA Cup – ahead of Corbett, who netted nine – seven in the league and two in the FA Cup.

Just 20 at the start of the season, Corbett had worked as a labourer at the Thames Iron Works and Shipbuilding Company. He was only the third Black footballer after Andrew Watson and Arthur Wharton to play league football in England.

Other noteworthy performers in West Ham’s first season were captain McEachrane, an Inverness-born left half-back with a reputation for tough tackling, goalkeeper Monteith, who started 30 of 34 games and kept 13 clean sheets, and full-backs Craig and King, wingers Allan and Hunt and forward Kaye, who all featured at least 20 times each.

West Ham United’s outlook ahead of the 1901/02 season was considered to be ‘promising’ and ‘very encouraging’.

So wrote a journalist named Linesman in a lengthy preview published in the Eastern Counties Times on 31 August 1901.

Linesman explained that major shareholder ‘Mr A.F. Hills, with his usual generosity and sympathy with sport, has kindly placed the Memorial Recreation Grounds, Canning Town – second to none in the country – at the disposal of the directors for a further period of three years, absolutely free of cost’.

He also reported that ‘one of the players, Mr E.S. King, has been engaged as secretary, and being a practical man, as well as a thorough business man, there is little doubt that the club will prosper under his guidance’. King’s predecessor, Lew Bowen, would continue as financial secretary.

Football-wise, Mr A. Norris – ‘a general favourite with players alike’ – would remain in his post of trainer.

“With everything in their favour they hope to do even better this year, and establish themselves once and for all amongst the first teams in the football world,” Linesman wrote, optimistically.

The number of Season Ticket Holders had doubled to 110, while 500 additional shares of stock were sold to further boost West Ham’s coffers.

Norris and his players would be busy on the pitch, too.

The first team would compete in the Southern League First Division, FA Cup and London League Premier Division. The reserves would compete in London League Division One and the Western League, after being elected in Bristol in June 1901.

Three new teams were among the 16 who kicked-off the 1901/02 Southern League First Division season. Runners-up Bristol City had been elected to the Football League Second Division, while Gravesend United had resigned and joined the Kent League, following the resignation of Chatham mid-way through the 1900/01 season.

Brentford, who had finished top of the Second Division, were elected. However, Second Division runners-up Grays United were not promoted after refusing to play extra-time in their test match against Watford! The two other newcomers were elected from the Midland League – Northampton Town and Wellingborough.

Transfer-wise, the summer of 1901 saw three important players depart. Long-serving right winger Charlie Dove, who had initially joined Thames Ironworks FC in 1895, moved to local rivals Millwall, Scottish inside forward James Reid joined Football League Second Division club Gainsborough Trinity, and outside left Freddie Fenton moved to fellow Southern League First Division side Swindon Town.

However, the imposition of a new £4 per week maximum wage in the Football League meant many quality players sought a higher salary by joining clubs in the Southern League, which had no restrictions.

Outside left William Linward was signed from Doncaster Rovers, wing-half James Bigden returned after a season with Gravesend United, and Scottish centre forward Peter Kyle moved from Leicester City. However, Kyle played just three times before moving to Kettering in a swap deal for Wales international, William Jones, in December 1901. More of Jones later.

West Ham won six of their first seven games, drawing the other, and kept four straight clean sheets to kick-off the Southern League season. Up front, Billy Grassam and Fred Corbett led the way, scoring 13 goals between them in those six wins.

The Hammers’ form caught the attention of locals, with 9,000 turning out at the Memorial Grounds for a 2-0 home defeat by Millwall on 26 October.

The following Saturday, an incredible 17,000 were present for the visit of FA Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur, who brought the trophy with them and put it on display for the public. Wales winger Jack Jones scored the only goal of the game as Spurs won 1-0.

Two weeks later, the Hammers’ season sunk to its lowest point. Southern League Second Division side Grays United visited the Memorial Grounds in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round and ran out 2-1 winners. Former Thames Ironworks and West Ham goalkeeper Tommy Moore, who had lost his place to Hugh Monteith the previous season, starred for Grays.

In December 1901, Corbett – the first Black player to represent the Club – departed to join Southern League rivals Bristol Rovers, reducing the team’s attacking options.

A 1-0 home defeat by Northampton on 18 January left West Ham fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Southampton. They would not lose again, winning eight and drawing three of the remaining eleven matches.

That run of form closed the gap to Southampton to just two points as West Ham finished fourth with 40 points from 30 games. However, Portsmouth collected 20 points from 13 games over the same period to win the First Division title by five points from runners-up Tottenham. Southampton finished third.

Grassam and inside forward George Ratcliffe led the way with ten goals each, while goalkeeper Monteith kept 13 clean sheets.

Elsewhere, the Hammers would win the London League Premier Division title – albeit playing only eight matches – and finish seventh in the Western League.

In March 1902, the Club also had the honour of fielding its first full international.

Born in the small South Wales coal mining village of Penrhiwceiber, William Jones (pictured) began his career with Aberdare Athletic before moving to West Ham’s Southern League counterparts Kettering in the summer of 1901.

By then, the defender was already a Wales international, having debuted against Scotland and played against England in March 1901.

After a short spell with Kettering, Jones moved to West Ham United in a swap deal for Scottish forward Peter Kyle. In 15 appearances for the Hammers, the team lost just twice, and the impressive half-back was named in the Wales team again for a goalless draw with England in Wrexham in March 1902. Two weeks later, he earned his fourth and final cap in a 5-1 defeat by Scotland in Greenock.

Jones returned to his home country in the summer of 1902 to finish his playing career with Aberaman Athletic and Rogerstone, before joining the Royal Welch Fusiliers and fighting for his country in the First World War. Sadly, this important figure in West Ham history was killed in action and buried at the Doiran Military Cemetery in northern Greece.

No sooner had the 1901/02 season ended than West Ham United were preparing for the 1902/03 campaign – their third since the Club had been reformed in the summer of 1900.

On 17 May 1902, Chairman Lazzeluer Johnson provided a positive report to the West Ham and South Essex Mail, and vowed that the Directors would help the Club bring more pride to the local area.

Johnson wrote: “Encouraged by these successes [of finishing fourth in the Southern League First Division and winning the London League Premier Division title], which have firmly established West Ham as one of the leading centres of football in the country, the Directors have decided upon a policy of supplying a quality next season which not only meet the correspondingly higher requirements of their supporters, but will convince others that respect must replace the pity which the borough previously suffered.”

The Chairman confirmed three new signings for the 1902/03 season – half-back Joe Blythe from Everton, Scotland international outside left John Campbell from Rangers and Canning Town-born inside right Billy Barnes, who had scored the winning goal for Sheffield United against Southampton in the FA Cup final replay just three weeks earlier.

For Barnes, it was a return, as he played for Thames Ironworks FC in the club’s first season in existence in 1895/96, and scored the winning goal in the West Ham Charity Cup final second replay win over Barking in April 1896.

That summer, a number of regular starters departed for Football League clubs. Goalkeeper Hugh Monteith joined Bury and back Charles Craig moved to Nottingham Forest in the First Division, while left-back Roddy McEachrane and forward Fergus Hunt both moved to Woolwich Arsenal and George Ratcliffe transferred to Doncaster Rovers in the Second Division.

William Jones returned home to Wales to Aberamon Athletic, while young full-back Dick Pudan moved to Southern League side Bristol Rovers.

The Club’s annual general meeting was held in June 1902 at the Fairbairn Hall in Canning Town. There, Johnson stood down as Chairman – as he was moving to Sheffield – and replaced by timber converter Edwin Smith. Syd King was confirmed as secretary-manager for the next three years, making him the first man to take the role as manager in the Club’s history.

While the team had been successful, the Club’s finances were ‘giving the directors a good deal of anxiety’, so an appeal was made for more shareholders and two ‘athletic carnivals’ were to be held in the summer ‘to augment the banking account’.

On a lighter note, it was reported that Mr G.H. Walker of the Lord Raglan pub in Plaistow was to present the Club with a flag to commemorate winning the London League championship!

Having finished the 1901/02 season so strongly, the 1902/03 campaign was underwhelming.

West Ham won just nine of 30 Southern League First Division matches, drawing ten and losing eleven. In 15 away matches, the Hammers won just one and scored just ten goals.

Scottish inside right Billy Grassam (pictured) was the outstanding player, netting 19 of West Ham’s 35 Southern League goals. No other player scored more than Barnes’ four.

There was no joy to be found in the FA Cup, either, as Football League Second Division side Lincoln City ran out 2-0 intermediate round winners at Sincil Bank in December 1902.

The 1903/04 season was not a good one for West Ham United.

The Club’s Directors were seriously concerned about its financial position, with losses of £900 reported over the course of the previous two seasons, a large overdraft and assets of under £200.

Something drastic had to be done to improve things.

Manager Syd King made changes to his squad, with prolific striker Billy Grassam joining Manchester United and full-back Dick Pudan leaving for Bristol Rovers.

Into their places came forward Charles Satterthwaite (pictured) from New Brompton and defender Tommy Allison from Reading, alongside winger William Kirby and forward Herbert Lyon.

Satterthwaite and Kirby combined to score 29 goals between them, but still the Irons struggled for consistency in the Southern League, losing half of their 34 games to finish in a lowly 12th place.

The highlight came fittingly on Christmas Day 1903, when a 10,000-strong crowd saw Satterthwaite and Kirby score first-half goals in an exciting 2-1 home win over champions-elect Southampton at the Memorial Grounds.

West Ham’s FA Cup form was better, with wins over Brighton & Hove Albion (4-0), Clapton Orient (3-0) and Chatham Town (5-0) securing a place in the intermediate round, where they lost 1-0 to Fulham in front of 12,000 fans at the Memorial Grounds – their highest home attendance of a mediocre season. Satterthwaite scored a hat-trick in the win over Chatham, while Herbert Lyon scored a total of five goals in the three victories.

As the season came to a close, the Directors knew big decisions had to be made to secure West Ham United’s long-term future.

With founder and Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company managing director Arnold Hills also having financial issues, the rental arrangement for the Memorial Grounds – the huge multi-sports arena bankrolled by Hills in what is now West Ham – came to an end and the young Club needed to find a new home.

The new home West Ham United was secured when a lease was signed for a plot of land next to and in the grounds of Green Street House in Green Street, Upton Park.

The field in which the pitch was to be laid was originally used to grow potatoes and cabbages and, as such, the pitch was often referred to by the locals as 'The Potato Field' or 'The Cabbage Patch', while the ground itself was originally named ‘The Castle’ during its initial 1904/05 season.

Initially leased from the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Authorities – but not before a lengthy debate that saw manager Syd King visit his friend, the influential West Ham North MP Sir Ernest Gray – the Hammers' new home originally consisted of a small West Stand and covered terrace backing onto Priory Road, along with dressing rooms situated in the north west corner between the West Stand and North Bank.

As King later explained, ‘through his (Sir Ernest Gray’s) good offices, subject to certain conditions, we were finally allowed to take possession of Boleyn Castle’.

By then, however, Satterthwaite and Kirby had both departed, to Arsenal and Swindon respectively. Goalkeeper Fred Griffiths had also left, for New Brompton, and was replaced by Matt Kingsley, signed from Newcastle United.

During a summer of huge change, on and off the pitch, King also recruited Charlie Simmons (West Bromwich Albion), Frank Piercy (Middlesbrough), Herbert Bamlett (Newcastle United), William McCartney (Everton), Jack Flynn (Reading), John Russell (Everton), David Gadiner (Newcastle United) and Jack Fletcher (Reading), and also introduced youngster Billy Bridgeman.

West Ham's first game at their new home was against Millwall on 1 September 1904. It drew a crowd of 12,000, the majority of whom were rewarded as West Ham ran out 3-0 winners, with teenager Bridgeman scoring two of the goals.

The next home game, against Queens Park Rangers, attracted 14,000, while a derby with Tottenham Hotspur on 24 September drew a record 16,000.

Results were up and down, with the highlight being a 6-2 home win over Luton Town in January 1905, but generally the Club’s fortunes were moving in the right direction.

The Castle proved to be a strong base, too, with nine of the 17 home Southern League fixtures ending in victory, and just five ending in defeat.

By the season’s end, West Ham were up to a respectable tenth, with Bridgeman scoring eleven goals, Simmons eight and Fletcher seven.

Fifty years ahead of the advent of the Academy of Football, there was also praise for the Club’s ability to unearth and blood local talent.

The 1905 edition of 'Association Football' enthused: "It is the proud boast of the West Ham club that they turn out more local players than any other team in the South. The district has been described as a hot-bed of football and it is so. The raw material is found on the marshlands and open spaces round about; and after a season or so, the finished player leaves the East End workshop to better himself, as most ambitious young men will do. In the ranks of other organizations many old West Ham boys have distinguished themselves."

Financially, the Irons were also out of the fire, with a £400 profit reported, largely thanks to a huge increase in gate receipts.

After a tumultuous period, West Ham United was on solid ground.