I was entering pre-war football cards onto eBay, specifically the large sized Topical Times series from the 1930’s. I find them awkward to work with and tricky to photograph, because they are nearly ten inches long with a tendency to curl. I’ve mainly used the scanner, because it flattens them nicely for the picture.
Yes, I’ve finally worked out how to use the scanner properly, though you can only fit two of these monster cards on at a time.
Ears, as you can see from the photographs, were worn larger in the 1930’s.
When I started on the colour cards, which are much less harrowing than the black and white images, I found Frank Soo.
The combination of name and slightly oriental features made me look again.
Frank Soo, was the first man of Chines heritage to become a professional footballer and first man of non-white heritage to play for England (in nine wartime Internationals). He went on to manage a number of teams in Sacandinavia, Italy and Scunthorpe. As a collector of trivia, I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of him.
His brother Ronald flew with the RAF in the war (Frank served in the RAF in a technical capacity) and was shot down and killed as a Lancaster air-gunner in 1944.
It’s amazing what you can learn if you keep your eyes open.
