John Brearley
Encyclopedia
John Brearley is a former English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for several clubs, most notably Millwall Athletic
, Everton
and Tottenham Hotspur
. He was able to play in at least five outfield positions, but had a preference for playing inside-right. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben
, a civilian detention camp in Germany
.
as he helped them win the Southern League District Combination
and reach the semi-final of the FA Cup
in 1900. He made his debut for Everton against WBA
in September 1902 and subsequently made 24 appearances and scored 8 goals for the club. He finished as Everton’s top league goalscorer in 1902-03 with 7 goals. Among his team mates at Everton were Samuel Wolstenholme
. He was then signed for Tottenham by former Evertonian, John Cameron and went onto score 24 goals in 133 games for them. Among his team-mates at Tottenham were Vivian Woodward
. In January 1905 he played for a Professionals of the South XI against an Amateurs of the South XI during an England
trial at White Hart Lane
. He finished his playing career with a return to Millwall Athletic
as a player-coach in 1909.
in Germany
. While there the First World War broke out and he was interned at Ruhleben
, a civilian detention camp in the Spandau
district of Berlin
. Brearley was one of several former professional footballers at Ruhleben. Among them were his former Everton team mate, Samuel Wolstenholme
, and his former manager at Tottenham, John Cameron. Others included former England
internationals, Fred Spiksley
, Fred Pentland
, and Steve Bloomer
and a former German
international Edwin Dutton
. The camp contained between 4,000 and 5,500 prisoners. Gradually a mini-society evolved and football became a popular activity. Cup and league competitions were organised and as many as 1,000 attended the bigger games. On May 2, 1915 an England XI featuring Brearley, Pentland, Wolstenholme and Bloomer played a World XI captained by Cameron. Brearley also captained the Barracks 10 team that won a cup competition in 1915. He also played cricket at the camp and in May 1915 played for a Rubleben XI, which also included Bloomer, against a Varsities XI
in the Rubleban Cricket League. A John Brearley was also listed as one of several Freemasons at the camp.
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He was able to play in at least five outfield positions, but had a preference for playing inside-right. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, then a village to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf...
, a civilian detention camp in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Playing career
Brearley played 51 games and scored 13 goals for Millwall AthleticMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
as he helped them win the Southern League District Combination
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
and reach the semi-final of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 1900. He made his debut for Everton against WBA
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in September 1902 and subsequently made 24 appearances and scored 8 goals for the club. He finished as Everton’s top league goalscorer in 1902-03 with 7 goals. Among his team mates at Everton were Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme was an English footballer who played for, among others Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and England. He played alongside Steve Bloomer and Vivian Woodward in the England teams that won the British Home Championship in 1904 and 1905...
. He was then signed for Tottenham by former Evertonian, John Cameron and went onto score 24 goals in 133 games for them. Among his team-mates at Tottenham were Vivian Woodward
Vivian Woodward
Vivian John Woodward was an English amateur football player who enjoyed the peak of his career in the late 1900s and early 1910s.-Club career:...
. In January 1905 he played for a Professionals of the South XI against an Amateurs of the South XI during an England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
trial at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
. He finished his playing career with a return to Millwall Athletic
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
as a player-coach in 1909.
Prisoner in Germany
Brearley subsequently worked as a coach at Viktoria 89 BerlinViktoria 89 Berlin
Berliner Fußball-Club Viktoria 1889 is a German sports club based in the Tempelhof district of Berlin. Football, rugby, and cricket came to continental Europe in the late 19th century, and these "English games" became immediately popular in many countries. Viktoria is the oldest club in Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. While there the First World War broke out and he was interned at Ruhleben
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, then a village to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf...
, a civilian detention camp in the Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Brearley was one of several former professional footballers at Ruhleben. Among them were his former Everton team mate, Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme was an English footballer who played for, among others Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and England. He played alongside Steve Bloomer and Vivian Woodward in the England teams that won the British Home Championship in 1904 and 1905...
, and his former manager at Tottenham, John Cameron. Others included former England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
internationals, Fred Spiksley
Fred Spiksley
Fred Spiksley was an English footballer and coach, who played as a forward for Sheffield Wednesday F.C. and England. He also played for Gainsborough Trinity, Glossop North End, Leeds City, Watford and in 1907 became the only professional footballer to play for the Corinthians...
, Fred Pentland
Fred Pentland
Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland was an English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for, among others, Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and England. However he is best remembered for his career as a manager in Spain where he coached several clubs including Athletic...
, and Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...
and a former German
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
international Edwin Dutton
Edwin Dutton
Edwin Dutton is a former Anglo-German footballer and coach. Dutton played as a forward for Britannia Berlin 92, BFC Preussen, Newcastle United and Germany. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in Germany...
. The camp contained between 4,000 and 5,500 prisoners. Gradually a mini-society evolved and football became a popular activity. Cup and league competitions were organised and as many as 1,000 attended the bigger games. On May 2, 1915 an England XI featuring Brearley, Pentland, Wolstenholme and Bloomer played a World XI captained by Cameron. Brearley also captained the Barracks 10 team that won a cup competition in 1915. He also played cricket at the camp and in May 1915 played for a Rubleben XI, which also included Bloomer, against a Varsities XI
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
in the Rubleban Cricket League. A John Brearley was also listed as one of several Freemasons at the camp.