Aaron Travis (footballer)

Aaron Travis (28 March 1890 – 1966) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Darlington. He was on the books of Manchester United before the First World War and of Tranmere Rovers during it but never played for either in the League.[1] He also played in the Manchester League and Lancashire Combination for Hurst, in the Southern League for Norwich City, and in the North-Eastern League for Darlington before their election to the Football League.

Aaron Travis
Personal information
Full name Aaron Travis[1]
Date of birth (1890-03-28)28 March 1890[1]
Place of birth Manchester,[1] England
Date of death 1966 (aged 75–76)[1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1911–1912 Hurst 33 (31)
1912–1913 Norwich City
1913 Hurst
191?–1915 Darlington
1915 Manchester United 0 (0)
– Tranmere Rovers
191?–1922 Darlington 11 (6)
– Hurst Albion
– Ashton PSI
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Personal life

Travis was born in the Openshaw area of Manchester,[1] the first child of Aaron Travis, a general labourer, and his wife Charlotte Elizabeth.[3] He attended Thomas St Malpas St Board School.[4] By 1901, Travis's father was working as a chimney sweep and the household comprised an additional four siblings, his widowed grandmother and two aunts.[5] By 1911, the 21-year-old Travis was following his father's trade.[6] He married Martha Brayton in 1915.[7] Travis died in Darlington, County Durham in 1966 at the age of 76.[8] Aaron served with the machine gun corps during the First World War.

Football career

In 1911–12, Travis scored 31 goals from 33 matches as Hurst won the Manchester League with three matches to spare,[9][10] and "scored twice and led the attack in fine style" in the semi-final to help his team reach the final of the Manchester Junior Cup,[11] in which they beat Wilmslow 2–0.[12] He then joined Southern League club Norwich City, and made his debut on 12 October 1912 at home to Portsmouth; the Evening News reported that "young Travis did very well in the centre, and was always on target with his shots".[13][14] He finished the season with two goals from ten first-team appearances,[15] and after a couple of months back with Hurst in the Lancashire Combination,[16] he signed for reigning North-Eastern League champions Darlington.

Travis scored freely until the end of the season, his goal return including four of Darlington's five against Carlisle United in February.[17] In a match against Wallsend, he and an opponent were sent off for fighting. Both players denied the charge, and witnesses supported their version of events, but they were both suspended for seven days from the start of the 1914–15 season.[18] His prolific scoring continued. By early January 1915, he had 32 league goals,[19] and by mid-March, when he signed for First Division club Manchester United, he had reached 38.[2]

He made his Manchester United debut for their reserve team at home to Burnley reserves in the Central League: he scored a hat-trick.[20] When league football was suspended at the end of the season for the duration of the First World War, he had not played for their first team.[1] During the war, he appeared not only for Manchester United[21] but also for other clubs, including Tranmere Rovers[22] and his former club Hurst.[16]

By December 1919, Travis was back with Darlington, scoring four times in a 9–2 defeat of Bishop Auckland in the North-Eastern League[23] and twice as his club eliminated his former club Norwich City from the FA Cup.[24] Drawn against First Division Sheffield Wednesday in the first round proper, Travis had a goal disallowed because Dick Healey was standing in an offside position; the match finished goalless.[25] He did not play in the replay, which Darlington won 2–0,[26] but had returned to the side for the second-round visit to Birmingham, which they lost 4–0.[27] He scored the only goal of the Durham Senior Cup final against Durham City.[28]

In 1920–21, Darlington again reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, and again took their Football League opponents to a replay. Travis came into the team at inside right against Blackpool and scored, but Darlington went out 2–1.[29] In the league, they went one better than the previous season, won their second North-Eastern League title, and were elected to the newly formed Northern Section of the Third Division. Travis was not a regular in the Football League side. He played eleven matches and scored six goals, five of which came over the Christmas and New Year period: both goals of a 2–0 win at Lincoln City,[30] one of five against Walsall,[31] and two of five against Ashington.[32] Press rumours suggesting that Travis and Arthur Wolstenholme had been offered in exchange for a Hartlepools United player were partly denied: the Darlington club secretary insisted that Wolstenholme was unavailable "to Hartlepools or any other club".[33] Travis played occasionally at the end of the season, and had to take over in goal at Southport Central in April when Andy Greig broke his arm.[34] He returned home at the end of the season, and played local football for Hurst Albion and Ashton PSI.[16]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. "Untitled". Manchester Courier. 17 March 1915. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription Thomas Street, Openshaw, Chorlton, Lancashire, England". Aaron Travis. Relationship: Son. Age: 1. Birth year: 1890. Birth town: Openshaw. Birth county: Lancashire. Archive reference: RG12. Piece number: 3178. Folio: 21. Page: 37. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via Findmypast.
  4. "Manchester School Admissions Registers Transcription". Aaron Travis. Birth date: 29 Mar 1890. School name: Thomas St Malpas St Board. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via Findmypast.
  5. "1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription 5, Cleveland Street, South Manchester, Chorlton, Lancashire, England". Aaron Travis. Relationship: Son. Age: 11. Birth year: 1890. Birth town: Manchester. Birth county: Lancashire. Archive reference: RG13. Piece number: 3685. Folio: 47. Page: 30. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via Findmypast.
  6. "1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription 20 Gorton Lane Manchester SE, South Manchester, Lancashire, England". Aaron Travis. Relationship: Son. Age: 21. Birth year: 1890. Birth place: Lancashire M/c. Occupation: Chimney sweep. Census reference: RG14PN23749 RG78PN1378B RD464 SD2 ED48 SN14. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via Findmypast.
  7. "England & Wales marriages 1837–2008 Transcription". Aaron Travis. Marriage quarter: 4. Marriage year: 1915. District: Chorlton. County: Lancashire. Volume: 8C. Page: 1538. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via Findmypast.
  8. "England & Wales deaths 1837–2007 Transcription". Aaron Travis. Birth year: 1890. Age: 76. Death quarter: 4. Death year: 1966. District: Darlington. County: Durham. Volume: 1A. Page: 202. Retrieved 14 January 2015 – via Findmypast.
  9. "A new beginning". Ashton United/Hurst FC Database. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  10. "Manchester League. Hurst beat Northwich Victoria and win championship". Manchester Courier. 9 April 1912. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Manchester Junior Cup". Manchester Guardian. 1 April 1912. p. 3.
  12. "Manchester Junior Cup Final". Manchester Guardian. 15 April 1912. p. 3.
  13. "NCFC Players". Sing Up The River End!. Andrew Harrison. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  14. Sentinel (14 October 1912). "The Football Field. Pompey team fog-bound". Evening News. Portsmouth. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Norwich City Appearances: T". and "Norwich City Goalscorers: T". Sing Up The River End!. Andrew Harrison. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  16. "T/U/V". Ashton United/Hurst FC Database. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011.
  17. "Darlington v. Carlisle United". Newcastle Daily Journal. 9 February 1914. p. 9 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. "Football offences. A Darlington and several other players suspended". North-Eastern Daily Gazette. Middlesbrough. 2 May 1914. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
    "Sequel to a North-Eastern League fracas". Newcastle Daily Journal. 2 May 1914. p. 11 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. "Prolific scoring by Thornley". Newcastle Daily Journal. 6 January 1915. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. Sportsman (27 March 1915). "Notes on Sport. Football". Burnley Express. p. 10 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. Mancunian (10 January 1916). "Notes on Football". Manchester Courier. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. "Bee's Sports Notes". Liverpool Echo. 31 August 1915. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. "Bishop Auckland v. Darlington". Yorkshire Post. 8 December 1919. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. "Darlington heavily defeat Norwich City". Yorkshire Post. 22 December 1919. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. "Darlington v. Sheffield Wednesday". Yorkshire Post. 14 January 1920. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. "Wednesday's cup ideas gone". Yorkshire Telegraph and Star. 19 January 1920. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. "Birmingham v. Darlington. Darlington easily defeated". Yorkshire Post. 2 February 1920. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. "Durham Senior Cup". Yorkshire Post. 22 March 1920. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. "Blackpool v. Darlington". Sunderland Daily Echo. 13 January 1921. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  30. "Darlington v. Barrow". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 27 December 1921. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. "Darlington v. Walsall". Yorkshire Post. 3 January 1922. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  32. "Darlington v. Ashington: Another win for the Quakers". Yorkshire Post. 4 January 1922. p. 12 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  33. "A Darlington denial". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 15 December 1921. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  34. "Darlington unfortunate at Southport". Yorkshire Post. 3 April 1922. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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