Harry Curtis - Gills Manager in the 1920's

[Markc]

Hello All,

I am wondering if anyone can assist me or provide me with some information.

Harry Curtis was Gillingham manager between 1923 and 1926 before leaving to take over at Brentford where he remained for the next 23 years. I am currently looking into the possibility of producing and publishing a book to cover his life. I have discovered a comprehensive diary that he wrote, serialised in a newspaper, in 1947 which looked back over his lengthy period of time as Brentford secretary/manger.

However, I have virtually no knowledge of his earlier life, especially the time he spent at Gillingham, which followed a spell as a Football League referee.

Does anyone have any information they would be willing to share with me? Or could point me in the direction of someone who might know anything?

Many thanks,

Mark

[sotongill]

There's a piece in "Home of the Shouting Men" - written by Andy Bradley and Roger Triggs . About his time at Gillingham it says "When the Gillingham job became available , Curtis was one of the first applicants , and in May 1923 he was engaged as Secretary-Manager . Success was not immediate and despite signing some good whole-hearted players , the club always floundered near the bottom of the Third Division ( South ) table . Lack of funds made his job difficult and when the club refused his demands for a pay rise , he moved to Brentford in a similar capacity in May 1926 ."

The other person who could help would be a gentleman who used the Gillingham boards under the username Eccles , real name David Elligate . He wrote an on-line history of the club , called "Tales from Grandads Tool Shed" , which you used to be able to link to from the old Gills365 site . His first match was , I think , in 1952 , and his knowledge of the Gills in the first half of the last century was based on the knowledge passed down by the older supporters at that time . Sadly , after yet another run-in with our chairman , and having lived in Brighton for most of his life due to work , he switched allegiance a few years back and doesn't use the sites anymore .

[Garawa]

There are a couple of people with a wealth of knowledge and all senior in years. Andy Bradley I talk to every home game and knows just about all there is to know. I wonder, if any, who will carry on their knowledge in the decades to come? Haydn Parry is worth a try as well and he can be contacted on twitter. Good luck.

[gillsfan1066]

Great suggestions and I am sure those good folks will be very helpful, but a call to Mr Lidbit, assuming he is not still trying to find his way home from the game at Swindon, will I think be the one to make. He was there in the time of the great Harry Curtis and although only a lad at the time (16 /17) I am sure he will remember our Harry and all his great achievements well .
I have a friend who is a printer/bookbinder and specializes in producing " small runs", thats the technical term for a book that no one other than the writer and his immediate family give two tosses about, if you need his number please don't hesitate to give me a shout.
Just funning with you , I for one will certainly be buying a copy, IN FACT young lady put me down for two, I need a couple of book ends for Mr Garawa's best seller, " Me and Scally, Drinking the Cool Aid on the Roof at the Gillingham End." that sold 7 copies and he only lost 2,000 quid producing it.

[fan_of_mulligan]

http://gills365.co.uk/tales-from-grandads-tool-shed-chapter-13/

This is Eccles article covering The Gills between 1920 and 1929, I hope this helps.

[Markc]

Thanks very much everyone, some brilliant responses and very much appreciated.

I'll keep in touch about how things go.

Thanks again.

Mark