Celebrating early stars of ladies’ game
THE “cathedral on the hill”- St James’ Park – has staged many a memorable match in its long history.
But flickering footage of one unique game has been found by Tyneside writer Ed Waugh, whose new play on early women’s football in the North East will tour the region in March.
Ed, from South Shields, came across the film of female footballers playing in the Munitionettes cup final of 1919 on the internet.
The black and white footage, which is just one minute and 41 seconds in length, features the ladies of Palmers Shipyard in Jarrow playing Christopher Brown Ltd of Hartlepool on a snow-covered pitch.
The accompanying caption states: “Women’s football cup game played in the snow. Munition girls’ team. This could be final of The Munitionettes’ Cup - the winners being the ladies of Palmer’s shipyard in Jarrow, who defeated Christopher Brown’s of Hartlepool 1-0 at St James’ Park in Newcastle on 22 March, 1919.”
Ed, who has been researching women’s football during the First World War for the play, was able to confirm that the footage is of the 1919 cup final. The film ends with the teams being presented with their medals,
Ed said: “When the government introduced conscription into the army for men, hundreds of thousands of women flooded into the munitions factories.
“Around a million women became munitionettes, working long, hard, dangerous and physical 60-hour weeks in armaments factories, and also docks, rope mills, and steel mills.
“Little provision was made by the government for the injured soldiers so we saw the phenomenon of these munitionettes playing football to raise money for wartime charities that looked after maimed and blinded men, widows and orphans.
“There were no leagues. Matches were regarded as friendlies. Hundreds of teams formed throughout the country and there were dozens in the North East. What distinguished our region was a cup donated by Sunderland businessman Alfred Wood.”
Teams from Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Darlington and North Yorkshire battled it put to find their champion and sides from Wear side, Tyneside and Northumberland held a knock-out to find their top side. Matches attracted thousands of spectators.
The two best teams in the region would then play in the final. The 1918 Munitionettes cup was won by Blyth Spartans who defeated Bolckow Vaughan from Middlesbrough 5-0 at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, in front of a 22,000 crowd. Spartans centre forward Bella Reay, from Cowpen in Blyth, notched a hat trick in the final and ended the season with 133 goals in 30 matches. She was affectionately known as Wor Bella.
Guesting for Blyth Spartans Ladies that day in March 1918 was Palmers star, 16-year-old Mary Lyons who, a year later, led her own team to victory in the cup. There were only ever two munitionettes cup finals.
Guesting for Palmers in 1919, Bella Reay scored the only goal of the game in Jarrow’s 1-0 victory over Christopher Brown Ladies.
Ed said: “Our research shows there was footage of the 1918 final but we couldn’t find that. When we came across the 1919 film it was an incredible feeling.
“The pitch is covered in snow. The Metrological Office confirmed it was snowing on Tyneside on the weekend of March 22. 1919. One player even gets carried off the pitch through injury, no doubt sustained because of the icy conditions.” The game was watched by a 9,000 crowd.
“Sadly, Bella Reay’s only goal of the match is not recorded in the footage,” said Ed, “But what is intriguing is the good quality of football despite the atrocious conditions, and how Mary, captain of Palmers, allows Bella to lift the cup. Mary is second in line.
“I can only assume this is because Bella scored the winning goal. There must have been a strong friendship between them because they played in the two cup final teams together as well as for England and in regional representative matches.”
Both Bella Reay, born in 1900, and Mary Lyons were the only two players to win two Munitionettes Cup winners’ medals. The North East-based competition ceased to exist after 1919.
Ed said: “It’s an incredible, historic piece of footage from more than 100 years ago that captures the spirit of women’s football. The female footballers of today stand on the shoulders of these heroic, selfless, women from the First World War. The sad upshot is not a single statue exists to the millions of munitionettes.”
The play Wor Bella premieres in Blyth Phoenix Theatre on Friday, March 25, then tours until to Saturday, April 2, when it plays the Westovian Theatre, South Shields. For further details visitwww.worbella.co. uk