Obituaries

Des Horne: 1940 – 2015

A Unique Place In Molineux History

It’s at times like this when you are thankful for the opportunities; thankful, in our case, that we were able to meet Des Horne at some length during what proved to be his final visit to England.

Where do you start to pay due deference to a life like Sir Jack Hayward’s? The adjectives come gushing to mind…..colourful, patriotic, magnetic, eccentric, generous beyond comprehension and, happily, Wolves-daft.
From the moment he entered the lives of the Molineux family in the spring of 1990, we realised we had been blessed with the presence of a very special man.

Jimmy Dunn: 1923 – 2014

A Family Rich In Football Folklore

How many more games might Jimmy Dunn have played for Wolves? First, the war took much potential match time away from him, in terms of Football League action anyway, then a bad injury and finally any number of outstanding fellow forwards.

Malcolm Finlayson: 1930 – 2014

Fearless Keeper Shone As Bert’s Successor

It seems strange to reflect that the only goalkeeper to win two League Championship medals with Wolves once doubted his right to become a first-team regular. It’s even more peculiar when you consider that his uncertainty was based on the events of a game in which the goals were flying past Bert Williams.

Eddie Stuart: 1931 – 2014

Decorated Hard-Man Defender Who Rose To Rank Of Captain

It wasn’t just the renowed 1950s Wolverhampton Wanderers half-back line that opposition forwards had to get past to catch a glimpse of Bert Williams or Malcolm Finlayson. Usually, among the powerhouses still blocking the way to goal was Eddie Stuart.

Bert Williams: 1920 – 2014

Peerless Keeper Who Remained Hands-On

He spent a lifetime striving for perfection and utter fulfillment and, as near as makes no difference, it was mission accomplished. An FA Cup winner’s medal from 1949 and the honour of being Wolves’ regular goalkeeper when they lifted the League Championship for the first time stand as the most acknowledged of the many achievements in a fabulous club career. There were also 24 England caps and various other representative honours from the war years as well as peacetime. But these accolades tell only part of Bert Williams MBE’s rich story.

Peter Broadbent: 1933 – 2013

Artist Who Was A True Legend Among Greats

It would have been impressive enough for Peter Broadbent to play 497 League and cup matches for a Wolverhampton Wanderers side pottering along in mid-table. Class act that he was, though, he just happened to do his work while they were cutting edge; not only winning and chasing trophies but also stocked with any number of other top players who were after his shirt. Put simply, he was imperious among a team of true greats.

Barry Stobart: 1938 – 2013

A Success Story With A Dramatic Opening

Major Buckley’s decision to play 16-year-old wingers Alan Steen and Jimmy Mullen together against Manchester United in 1939 inevitably raised some eyebrows. There was also that extraordinary mid-journey departure from the team bus when Larry Kelly was told Terry Springthorpe was being preferred to him in the FA Cup final against Leicester ten years later. But, when it comes to sensationial Wolverhampton Wanderers team selections from across the decades, Barry Stobart’s inclusion in the Wembley showpiece against Blackburn is certainly right up there.

Dave Wagstaffe: 1943 – 2013

Much-loved Winger Who Lived To The Full

It’s at times like this that you are thankful for how much can be squeezed into a life. When asked in a BBC WM interview 18 months ago about the passing of his good childhood friend Davy Jones, of Monkees fame, Dave Wagstaffe spoke warmly but with apparent freedom from emotion by summing up: “He had a good life.”
We can say much the same now as the dust settles on the news we had feared hearing for several weeks; that Wolverhampton Wanderers’ best and best-loved winger since the halcyon days of Hancocks and Mullen had been taken from us at the age of 70.

George Showell: 1934 – 2012

Patient Local Boy Who Came Very Good

There’s a temptation to think that Wolves won every week in what has become fondly known as the glory years.
Not so. Page 82 of the 2002 book Forever Wolves shows Malcolm Finlayson floundering as he is beaten by South African Peter Hauser in a game played just over half a century ago. It is one of seven goals Stan Cullis’s side conceded on that embarrassing afternoon. With a certain poignancy, the photo is of a match at Blackpool and shows George Showell – clad in the club’s all white change strip – powerless in the background.