1955 Browne, Harry
Harry Browne was a trialist with Exeter City in 1955 just after he had returned to the area after serving with the Royal Engineers.
Growing up in Chestnut Avenue, Exeter on the newly-built Burnthouse Lane estate in the 1930s, Harry served in the Royal Engineers between 1952 and 1955. Playing for the Royal Engineers alongside many top young professionals on National Service, he also turned out for Fleet United in the Hampshire League when based in Aldershot.
Unbeknown to Harry on leaving the army, the manager of Fleet United had recommended him to City and he was invited to play in a trial against St Luke's College just before Christmas 1955. Although the Grecians won comfortably there was no offer of an engagement for the then 21-year-old who, after a brief spell playing for Topsham Town, soon relocated to live and work in Truro.
Later living in Perth in Western Australia, he retained a long-distance interest in City's fortunes and attended the 2007 Wembley play-off against Morecambe (see photo).
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Harry provided plenty of background when he wrote to the Grecian Archive in 2020:
"Throughout those couple of months in Exeter in late 1955, I continued playing football and enjoyed the highlight of my footballing career. One Wednesday just before Xmas, and just after lunch, a person turned up to our house with the message that I had been invited up to St. James Park for a trial with the Exeter City Football Club. Evidently, Hedley Sheppard, my ex coach at Fleet Utd, had written to the Club with a recommendation.
I was taken to St James Park and then told that I would be playing at right-half for the first-team in a friendly match against St Luke’s College. The college at the time was a physical training establishment and a force in both football as a prominent member of the Western League and rugby enjoying first-class fixtures.
I took Fred Davey’s place in the team and other players I can recall were Bill Short (goal), Dick Walton, Arnold Mitchell (captain), Theo Foley, Ted Buckle, David Robinson. Ronnie Burke, “Spud” Murphy and William Whiteside (another young player, from Northern Ireland, having a trial). I thoroughly enjoyed the match especially as I was particularly fit in those days and was told that I had performed really well. Exeter ran out winners by 10 – 0 and I was very pleased with myself. Unfortunately, as I was just twenty-one years old, the Manager (Norman Dodgin) felt I was just too old to be taken on as an apprentice and he had no room for another professional. He recommended me to Topsham Town which club participated in the Exeter & District Premier League and where I played for the few weeks before taking up residence in Truro."
Growing up in Chestnut Avenue, Exeter on the newly-built Burnthouse Lane estate in the 1930s, Harry served in the Royal Engineers between 1952 and 1955. Playing for the Royal Engineers alongside many top young professionals on National Service, he also turned out for Fleet United in the Hampshire League when based in Aldershot.
Unbeknown to Harry on leaving the army, the manager of Fleet United had recommended him to City and he was invited to play in a trial against St Luke's College just before Christmas 1955. Although the Grecians won comfortably there was no offer of an engagement for the then 21-year-old who, after a brief spell playing for Topsham Town, soon relocated to live and work in Truro.
Later living in Perth in Western Australia, he retained a long-distance interest in City's fortunes and attended the 2007 Wembley play-off against Morecambe (see photo).
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Harry provided plenty of background when he wrote to the Grecian Archive in 2020:
"Throughout those couple of months in Exeter in late 1955, I continued playing football and enjoyed the highlight of my footballing career. One Wednesday just before Xmas, and just after lunch, a person turned up to our house with the message that I had been invited up to St. James Park for a trial with the Exeter City Football Club. Evidently, Hedley Sheppard, my ex coach at Fleet Utd, had written to the Club with a recommendation.
I was taken to St James Park and then told that I would be playing at right-half for the first-team in a friendly match against St Luke’s College. The college at the time was a physical training establishment and a force in both football as a prominent member of the Western League and rugby enjoying first-class fixtures.
I took Fred Davey’s place in the team and other players I can recall were Bill Short (goal), Dick Walton, Arnold Mitchell (captain), Theo Foley, Ted Buckle, David Robinson. Ronnie Burke, “Spud” Murphy and William Whiteside (another young player, from Northern Ireland, having a trial). I thoroughly enjoyed the match especially as I was particularly fit in those days and was told that I had performed really well. Exeter ran out winners by 10 – 0 and I was very pleased with myself. Unfortunately, as I was just twenty-one years old, the Manager (Norman Dodgin) felt I was just too old to be taken on as an apprentice and he had no room for another professional. He recommended me to Topsham Town which club participated in the Exeter & District Premier League and where I played for the few weeks before taking up residence in Truro."
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Paul
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Harry Browne
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