1958 - 1978
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Why Now?
In recent years there have been several posts on the internet about Walthamstow Rangers. One article in 2011 asked about the origin of an enamel badge (which sold on E-bay for £74) showing the Rangers insignia and stirred good memories going back up to 55 years. The club had brought rewarding experiences and through them many past friends.
Rangers ceased to exist nearly 40 years ago and the thought of anyone looking for ‘Walthamstow Rangers’ in a search engine after all that time seemed remote. The question about the badge had prompted four replies under an item ‘Who were Walthamstow Rangers?‘ from different former players. That article is now an item in search engines in its own right. A further post about Rangers was made on the December 2014 mailings page of the ‘Walthamstow Memories‘ website.
The posts were part of the idea for creating this web site. Its preparation was an interesting project which has since had over 60,000 viewings up to the time these stopped being recorded several years ago. If it reaches even more of the club’s former players and similarly brings back enjoyable memories for any of them too, that would be a bonus.
There used to be boxes of photos, records and memorabilia relating to Rangers but these were gradually lost over time. The initial information used for the website was contained in just one remaining folder and a few photos. The availability of articles and reports that were originally written for the handbooks, magazines and newsletters all those years ago has widened the scope of these pages. Previously, missing information at the end of the Rangers Teams page has been traced so that the league tables for our last three seasons can be shown. Very sincere thanks to Steve Magill who provided the details in 2024.
Club Officers and Team Managers
Rangers had so many exceptional players during its twenty years’ existence. It is a little surprising that only four made it to the top level of English football although some of the reasons are explored elsewhere on this site. But behind the scenes too, there were many committed people who worked extremely hard for the Club, giving up significant amounts of their time and energies.
During the first three years, there was no need for a working committee. The Club started its life as one Under Thirteen team, conceived by Richard (Dick) Raymond and helped by three friends Colin Lewis, Roy Fentiman and Terry Eccles. Whilst trying to find other teams for friendly matches, Dick contacted Eric Dutton who was running a team in the South West Essex Junior Football League. Through him, the team was able to join the Under Fourteen division halfway through its second season. Eric went on to become the club’s first chairman, the role at that time being primarily as a mentor and figurehead.
By the start of its fourth season, as the Club grew, it became necessary to formally appoint officers and to have regular committee meetings. In recognition of their tremendous support, below is a list of all the officers and team managers.
Chairmen:
1960-62 Eric Dutton
1962-64 Stephen Cockerill
1964-67 Ron Clothier
1967-71 Dave Clarke
1971-73 Jim Butler
Secretary:
1958 – 1978 Dick Raymond
Treasurers:
1958-60 Colin Lewis
1960-61 Colin Arnott
1962-67 Robert Raymond
1967-70 Eric Allinson
1970-72 Dave Clarke
Social & Fundraising Secretaries:
1962-63 Frank Jennings
1963-64 Robert Raymond
1964-66 Roger Levoir
1966-69 Eric Browne
1969-73 Jim Butler
Minute Secretaries:
1962-66 Barry Mears
1966-68 Dave Clarke
1968-73 Florence Rowe
1967-68 Eric Allinson
1962-69 Colin Arnott
1966-67 Jim Bird
1965-72 Jim Butler
1963-67 Dave Clarke
1967-68 Dennis Crouch
1966-67 Vic Dennis
1967-70 Reg Eldridge
Team Managers
1962-66 Del Finch
1968-71 Ray Haysman
1969-71 Les Howard
1971-73 Jack Howell
1962-63 Frank Jennings
1977-78 Alan Jelliffe
1966-67 Charles Kirby
1965-67 John Newman
967-71 Peter Perryman
1961-78 Dick Raymond
1971-72 Tom Rogers
1966-70 Graham Scriven
1968-70 Dave Shand
1971-72 Tom Swain
1966-67 Steve Wasmuth
Early on in the Club’s life, the post of chairman tended to be filled by older more experienced people. After Eric Dutton, who is mentioned earlier, Stephen Cockerill, already a respected figure on the South West Essex Junior Football League Committee, took an interest in Rangers and became our first committee chairman. He is shown in the photograph (alongside) having just presented the Smart Cup to the under twelves at Romford’s ground in 1965, at a time before he took a personal interest in Rangers. He remained in office until he accepted the position of chairman to the South West Essex Junior League in 1964. Much later he took considerable interest in the Club’s Forest and District League team coming regularly to home matches at the Marsh Lane ground until his death in around 1976.
He was succeeded by Ron Clothier who had been secretary to Leyton F.C. Ron took an interest in Rangers after our two cup finals on their Hare and Hounds ground in 1961-62 and 1962-63. His tenure was at the time the Club was beginning to realise its potential. He had to resign when he moved away from the area and Dave Clarke took the reins. Dave had been with Rangers almost from the start, first as a player and then, as a manager. Following a bad road accident, Dave retired completely from junior football in 1972.
The Club’s later years as a multi-team club saw Jim Butler take the chair. He brought the same level of enthusiasm to the job as he had shown in all his roles until Rangers scaled back to just one team. Jim’s first interest in the club began when son Lee joined the club’s successful Under Twelve side. Later he started playing for the club before taking over as the Senior side’s team manager The work of all our team managers was greatly valued.
These acknowledgements would not be complete without mention of Eddie Browne. He followed the fortunes of his son Melvyn’s team run by Colin Arnott for several years before taking over as an extremely effective and hard working social secretary. He organised several of the club’s presentation dances and did a marvellous job with fund raising.
Amongst all the deserved credit given to the people who put so much time and effort in to help run the club and its teams, one player only, Roy Fentiman, was with Rangers when it started its journey and still playing at the end. He was a member of the club’s very first team in 1958 and still with Rangers and captain of the club’s last team during most of its Forest Sunday League years. Seen in the picture alongside with the Division Four Cup in 1975.
And finally, David Hammond in his internet post remembered the support given by Robert and Sarah Raymond. Both started to take interest around 1962. Robert filled various roles including treasurer and social secretary. And when the club needed assistance they both helped by backing Rangers financially through one or two sticky patches. Robert continued to take a keen and pivotal interest in club affairs until his death in 1969. Sarah helped with kit washing and providing half time refreshments from quite early, and later she was also frequently at the Forest District side’s matches and at the monthly Forest District League meetings held at the Three Blackbirds in Leyton.
After two decades, sad though it was to see the demise of Walthamstow Rangers, at least the Club went out on a high. The last team was one of the Club’s best. It was a tremendous achievement for them to start at boys U’12’s level in the Walthamstow Sunday League and then compete in the prestigious Forest District League. The team scythed through the divisions from Six to the Premier in five rewarding years to conclude Rangers’ story.
