Fun, Chaos, Adventure….In Equal Measure

As if we didn’t know it already, it would appear Hugh Curran was quite a lad. Who said so? Several members of the extended family at his funeral.

Various Wolves players have indicated in the past that this proud Scot arrived among them in 1969 with a certain glint in his eye.

And his siblings, offspring and grandson did nothing to question the perception at an emotional, well-attended service at South Oxfordshire Crematorium yesterday afternoon.

Whether by design or accident, Hughie – that name perhaps more accurately captures the personality we have belatedly learned much more about – was laid to rest on what would have been his 83rd birthday.

To deal with the sadder aspects first…..he had been in a care home for around 18 months and was suffering from Alzheimer’s – a condition with which the PFA had proved valuable help and support.

But this was a send-off with laughter and applause as well as tears. ‘A life of many adventures’ and ‘full of mischief’ were phrases we heard more than once. 

Hugh was the eldest of four children born to parents described as his staunchest supporters, the family moving from Glasgow to Ireland in 1954 soon after his tenth birthday.

His love of football started with Home Farm but he also excelled in the Irish version and played for a team who won the All Ireland Schoolboy Championships in Croke Park, Dublin. “He thought every ball belonged to him,” his sister, Janette, told the gathering.

Soccer was frowned upon in some quarters as an overseas sport, though, and the resistance to him being allowed to play both games led to him putting his medal away in a drawer and concentrating totally on the crowd-pulling spectacle we are familiar with over here.

Younger brother Ronald was only seven when Manchester United came calling for Hughie but has a memory of a trip for the two of them to the cinema. “I was losing a baby tooth and told him I had toothache. He stuck his fingers in, gave it a wobble and pulled it out. He put the tooth in my hand and told me to shut up as the blood dripped from my mouth!” 

Clearly, there were no hard feelings because the brotherly tribute yesterday ended with the comment: “We were blessed to have the time we did.” 

And Janette added: “He made us incredibly proud and gave us so many fantastic memories, as well as three nieces and nephews. He was my brother and first friend. I will carry his memories in my heart forever.”

Curran compiled the outstanding record of 47 goals in only 98 first-team games for Wolves – all while they were a top-flight club – and netted against England at Wembley during the winning of one of his five senior Scottish caps.

A photo of him in the jersey of his country looked down from the wall of the chapel and we didn’t have to wonder for long how inspirational that image was to his grandson, Joe.

In his beautiful address, he called him ‘a wee bonny lad who lived the dream of every boy’. “But he was so much more than THE Hughie Curran I told my friends about,” he continued. “He urged us to always have a laugh and not take life too seriously.” Joe has taken that advice to heart. He has an iconic photo of his grandad tattooed on his leg and was married in Vegas – in a pink Elvis Cadillac that reflected Hughie’s entertainment tastes. Oh yes, the music…. 

“He became a pub landlord, which was the perfect job for him,” said his son, Ian, who went on to refer to the ‘famous Glasgow kiss’ as the chosen way for dealing with certain unruly customers. But there were many more punters who became friends.

“He loved people, loved telling stories and loved entertaining,” Ian added. “If he wasn’t talking, he was singing. And if he wasn’t singing, he was whistling.

“Some of our happiest memories are from holidays, like the first one to Spain. He always seemed to attract fun, chaos and adventure in equal measures….at holiday camps, where he won singing competitions, or on coach trips that ended in a singalong. He always seemed to gather a crowd, though some of his methods wouldn’t pass social services!

“Dad wasn’t perfect. He was stubborn, mischievous, fiercely competitive and often convinced he knew best. But he was great fun, totally loyal and could light up every room he walked into.” No wonder the Rev Alison Richards introduced one of his favourite pieces of music to the gathering as ‘The Wonder Of Hugh’. 

We trust the family will approve of us signing off in the way that most of our readers would wish us to; with a mention of his links with the game through which he made his name.

A scarf from each of his main clubs was tied to his coffin, the Wolves one having been provided by Dean Edwards, the 1980s Molineux striker who installed him five and a half decades ago as his first on-field hero.

“Football wasn’t just something he did,” Ian added. “It was a huge part of what he did. He came from a different era…as hard as nails and completely fearless. He would put his head where many wouldn’t put their feet. That courage and determination stayed with him throughout his life.”

*Anyone wishing to watch the streamed version of the funeral, as we did live, can do so by clicking on or copying and pasting https://watch.obitus.com and making sure the user-name jipu9576 and the password 441397 are added.