George Handley (footballer, born 1912)
George H. Handley (5 July 1912 – 9 July 1943) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward in the Football League for Crystal Palace.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George H. Handley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 July 1912[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Wednesbury, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 9 July 1943 (aged 31)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Sicily, Fascist Italy | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1931–1932 | Hednesford Town | 1 | (0) |
| 1933–1934 | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | (0) |
| 1934–1935 | Crystal Palace | 5 | (0) |
| 1935 | Brierley Hill Alliance | ||
| 1936–1939 | Darlaston | ||
| National team | |||
| 1933–1934 | English Amateurs | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Football career
Handley, born in Wednesbury on 5 July 1912, began his football career in September 1931 with Hednesford Town.[1][3] He soon came to the attention of West Bromwich Albion, for which he signed in June 1932.[3] Despite playing many matches in the reserves and being capped at the amateur level for England, Handley never appeared for the first team at West Brom.[3][4] Transferred to Crystal Palace in 1934, he played 5 matches in the Football League Third Division South before being signed by Brierley Hill Alliance the next season.[3] Handley's next and final club was Darlaston, where he played until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.[3]
Personal life
Handley was married.[2] He served as a lance corporal in the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment during the Second World War and was killed during the invasion of Sicily on 9 July 1943.[2][4] Handley's body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Cassino Memorial.[2]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | Division | League | Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Crystal Palace | 1934–35 | Third Division South[1] | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
References
- George Handley at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- "Casualty Details: George Handley". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- "No 52 George H. Handley" (PDF). Hednesford Town. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- Smith, Scott (9 July 2013). "70 years on and still remembering". Hednesford Town. Retrieved 25 July 2020.