MEMORIES featured a splendid photograph of a group of local girls who played for Honeywell Ladies’ Football Club in the 1926-27 season.

The photograph belongs to John Conway.

His aunt Mary Fitzhenry (nee Conway) was a team member and is fourth from the left on the back row. Her husband Joe Fitzhenry is second from the right on the same row. Margaret Holden, the daughter of the team’s goalkeeper who is standing next to Mary Fitzhenry, got in touch with us after seeing the photograph in Memories.

Her mother was Margaret Barlow (nee Burton) would have been 15 when the photograph was taken. She is in the middle of the back row wearing her goalkeeper’s jersey. Margaret’s mother and her family moved to Barnsley from Chester-le-Street when dad Alec Burton found work here.

He worked in the mines and later ran a boxing club at the Honeywell Inn. Margaret was a keen football fan before leaving the North East for Barnsley and supported Newcastle United.

But, once in Barnsley, she became a regular at Oakwell for many years. “She was a very fit person and was mad about football,” said Margaret. Her mother, who died at the age of 86, often spoke about the days when she played for Honeywell Ladies.

Their team and other teams in Barnsley were formed to raise some well-needed cash by playing matches during the 1926 general strike. The cash was given to the soup kitchens in the town to help feed children as some of them were starving.

During the Second World War, Margaret, who was born in 1911, worked at David Brown’s helping the war effort.

Margaret (junior) was able to identify some of the other girls who played for Honeywell. The girl on the left of the three girls in the middle of the photograph (with another girl’s hand on her shoulder) was, she believes, Florence May Short. On the right of the three ladies (with curly hair) was Fanny Short.

Margaret who lived in Honeywell until she was 21, said: “I was very surprised to see the photograph and I am sure my mother would have been delighted that a photograph of the Honeywell Ladies’ football team had appeared in the Chronicle all those years after it was taken.”

We have also heard from Annie Crossland (nee Phillips) who recognised two of her aunts on the photograph.

Selina Phillips (known as Lena) is sitting immediately behind the player at the front holding the ball and Frances Phillips is sitting on the far left of the middle row with her arms folded.

The lady wearing the hat on the next to back row is the secretary, Mrs Townsend. There were four sisters and four brothers in the Phillips’ family, Andrew, George, Tommy and Bill and Selina (Lena), Frances, Olive and Mary. Mrs Crossland is the daughter of the eldest son, Andrew.

Most of the children were born at 112, Honeywell Street. Mrs E Cooke contacted us with interesting information regarding the Honeywell Ladies’ football team.