| THE GREGG FAMILY
HISTORY PROJECT - CHAPTER 1 |
|
|
1899 - 1995
ROBERT PATON
GREGG AND MARGARET PERRY [F171]
|
|
Ayrshire Scotland -
Robert Paton 'Greig'[P529]
was born on 12th July 1899. Of thirteen children,
he was twelfth, and the first of his
family[F163] to be born in
Darvel. He was my father.
A year before Robert's birth his
family had moved to Darvel from Tarbolton, a weavers
town 15 miles to the southwest. Robert's
father Matthew Paton Gregg[P512]
was a skilled handloom weaver working within
a cottage-industry that encompassed the entire county
of Ayrshire. Tarbolton, had been at the hub of the
Ayrshire weaving industry for 200 years, but circumstances
in Scotland were changing |
| Darvel Town also had its
share of handloom weavers, the craft having
been introduced there around 1752. John, 4th
Earl of Loudoun, granted 12 fues of land for
house building in that year, when only a handful
of farmer's cottages existed around Temple Derval.
Within 40 years the small community increased
in size to over 400 people, mostly employed
in the production of woven linen and silk. By
1790, the trend had moved towards manufacturing
woven cottons, and the cloth was later supplied
to the army's of the American Civil War. The
population of the town increased steadily, and
the local hand weaving crafts sustained the
population of Darvel for a further century or
more. |
|
By 1848 The Kilmarnock and Troon Railways
had extended their tracks eastwards as far
as Galston, and by 1850 to Newmilns. These
towns too, and others along the Irvine Valley
were monopolising on the newly found source
of wealth by building their own factories
and mills. The Industrial Revolution, and
the invention of the power loom had enabled
the fabrics to be mass-produced at substantially
reduced labour costs, and alas it would
bring about a corresponding demise of the
old hand-woven products.
In 1896 The Glasgow and South-Western
Railway Company laid a railway track to Darvel.
This connected the town to other commercial
centres, thus enabling employers and traders
an efficient means to transporting goods to
and from their factories. It also meant a faster
method of passenger transport and which encouraged
workers to travel from further afield.
|
P1. Ayrshire weaver at
handloom
late 19th Century |
| During that
period, chenille, madras and lace-weaving mills
had been set up in Darvel, with production greatly
influenced by the introduction of the steam-driven
mechanical looms. As the 20th Century loomed,
businesses became more profitable, wages improved,
and many rural weavers were attracted to the
modern town of Darvel. As the huge power machines
throbbed away in the work place, manufacturers
and workers prospered well. The new centres
of employment provided a comparatively higher
standard of living than the workers had ever
known before. Unprecedented expansion followed
which procured fresh inspiration into the community.
Darvel acquired an affluence that would have
been unimaginable a few years before. The town's
Latin motto reads
'Non sibi
sed cunctis',
which means "Not for ourselves, but for others".
See:
Wikipedia link for Darvel Ayrshire |
P1a. Lace making machinery
at Darvel early 20th Century |
My Grandfather,
Matthew Paton Gregg[P512]
was resolved to the change, and so joined
the procession of weavers seeking higher
paid employment in the mills of the Irvine
Valley. In 1898 he moved with his family
from Tarbolton to Darvel. Gas lighting was
by now installed in streets and houses.
The old water stand-pumps, having previously
been scattered throughout the town, were
replaced by gravitational piped supplies.
New schools and churches were appearing,
libraries and community centres. A public
square was provided and a new police station
boasting its own jail. A football ground
for the 'Darvel Juniors' football team was
also under construction in the meadowland
off Main Street Darvel. Housing was erected
to accommodate the needs of the expanding
community; and their spiritual and moral
concerns became the business of the
Reverend John W. Jack.
He was the recently appointed Minister of
Darvel, and occupied the huge manse at the
end of East Main Street, on the town perimeter.
|
P189. Revd John W
Jack
from Darvel -Early 1900's
|
P192.Loudon Hill
from Darvel Juniors F.C Field
|
P190.The Manse Darvel
in 1997 |
P191.Darvel Juniors
F.C in 1997 |
1899,
the year in which Robert was born, coincided
with the start of the Boer War. Queen Victoria
died in 1901, and Edward VII became King. Izabella[P568],
the last child of the family, was born on 14th
June 1902 in the same year that the war ended.
In 1904, the Loudon and Darvel School Boards
implemented the provisions of the Scottish Education
Act of 1872. They built an impressive new school
on Pond Braes. It proudly overlooked the town,
and was a much welcomed facility for the growing
number of children in the community. Robert,
then aged five, would have been one of its first
pupils.
|
P29.Pond Braes School
Darvel 1904 |
In the summer of 1905, he would
have been amongst those children representing his
school at the 'Grand opening' of Darvel's new Town
Hall. Many public buildings of the Victorian and
Edwardian periods were built from public subscription,
and this being no exception, was of immense pride
to the local citizens. Fittingly, it marked the
end of the rapid change, and economic advance experienced
by the town in it's recent years.
Robert's father Matthew
died in 1909 aged only 52. The cause of death was
'Pulmonary Tuberculosis', related to heart decease
and which has taken its toll of deaths within our
wider family group. At 10 years of age, Robert
was among perhaps six children still living at home,
and they would need to be cared for by his widowed
mother Margaret [Doyle]
Gregg [P 513]. Her Doyle family tree can be
found in Chapter 2, and also the data-base related
to this article.
Over the following five years, notable events
took place, such as the crowning of King George
V in 1910. In that same year, and with the help
of the newly invented radio transmissions, Dr
Crippen was caught whilst fleeing to Quebec.
Rutherford introduced his theories on the atom
in 1911, and it was in 1912, with the loss of
over 1500 lives, that the momentous sinking of
the Titanic took place. Scott, the explorer was
found dead in the Antarctic in 1913, and the
following year was the beginning of World War I.
The war would ravage Europe and last for
more than four years.
My collection of family 'heirlooms' includes
Robert's original birth certificate, a well-travelled
document showing signs of repair from long ago.
It is interesting to note the stitches of silk threads
woven through the torn folds on the now delicate
paper, and the faded inscriptions of officialdom.
Robert's birth certificate shows his surname wrongly
spelled as 'Greig' |
So, from this we know that
on 2 March 1917, aged 17 years and 8 months,
Robert was to be found enlisting at the Army
Recruiting Office in Ayr. He would become 52318
Private Gregg R P of the Royal Scots Regiment.
The coastal town would have been bustling with activity.
There would be military bands playing, and no doubt
frivolous chatter of a final victory against the
Hun. Then excitedly, amid thousands of other brave
but naive young men, Robert would proudly
have been marched off to the Great World War[1914-19].
He would also encounter the horrors, the carnage,
and the genocide of that shameful conflict.
Robert was but one of the many under-aged young
men who volunteered to join the British Armed Forces
during World War I. Somewhere near 250,000 under-aged
men 'apparently deceived ' the recruiting
sergeants, and over half of those never returned
home. Many were killed on the Western Front at Ypres,
on the Belgium-France border, and further south
at the Somme.
From the battlefields of Europe, Robert
probably wondered if he was ever to see
his beloved Scotland again, but with good
fortune he did return.... perhaps now a
wiser and more mature young man. No doubt
he also paid quiet tribute at the war memorial
erected in Hastings Square, commemorating
the many young men from Darvel who lost
their lives in France, and who did not return. |
|
Robert is seen
above as a soldier of the Royal Scots Regiment.
The photo is believed to have been taken in the
Baltic region.
|
 |
British War Medal.
The British War Medal 1914-1920,
authorised in 1919, was awarded to eligible service
personnel and civilians alike. Qualification for
the award varied slightly according to service.
The basic requirement for army personnel and civilians
was that they either entered a theatre of war, or
rendered approved service overseas between 5 August
1914 and 11 November 1918. Service in Russia in
1919 and 1920 also qualified for the award.
Victory Medal. The Victory Medal 1914-1919 was
also authorised in 1919 and was awarded to all eligible
personnel who served on the establishment of a unit
in an operational theatre. |
FOOTBALL,
football, fitbaw . . . Captivated by the game since
his early days, Robert represented the town
as a soccer player in both school and youth teams,
and in his teenage years eagerly pursued the sport
as a professional player. From 1920, he played six
consecutive seasons in the Scottish League. The
clubs listed include: September 1921 - Irvine Meadow
(Hurlford), August 1923 - Kilmarnock, July 1924
- Galston, and July 1925 - Nithsdale Wanderers.
One particularly unmemorable game was in the 1923-24
season for Kilmarnock Football Club [Scottish League
Div.1]. It was his debut appearance against Dundee,
on 19 January 1924, and one he would perhaps preferred
to forget. Quoting from a report in the 'Who's Who'
book of the Kilmarnock F.C the game was ... 'a personal
disaster for Bob' ... He may well have had
other things on his mind that day, for his brother
William Gregg[P558]
was very sick and died the following week.
By 1925 Robert had moved on to Nithsdale
Wanderers Football Club. Soccer records state that
in April 1926 he then moved back to the Galston
Squad, and it was around this time that Robert
was approached by talent-scouts who offered alluring
opportunities abroad in the newly formed North American
Soccer League. The offer of around 75 US
dollars a-week wages plus bonuses and incentives
was no doubt an additional inducement. With an exchange
rate of about 4 dollars to the pound it amounted
to near £20 per-week. Cup
winning teams for the likes of the US National
Challenge Cup could expect prize money's of up
to $5,000. That was
good money in those days when top British players
may have been earning more like £6 per-week
at a time when British Soccer players wages were
capped!
For the energetic young man it was a dream come
true.
On a day in early May 1926 he left Darvel for North
America, his young sweetheart Nan MacKelvie knew
it could be a long time before she would see her
fiancé again - but with mixed emotions Robert
set sail for the Americas - a land of adventure
and great opportunities. He arrived at the
port of Quebec, Canada on Wednesday, 26 May 1926
at 4am aboard the Steam Ship MONTROSE of the Canadian Pacific Line.
[Read complete on-line Newspapers of that
day ,
Canadian Montreal Gazette, or
P390. Graphic Image sample].
During the 1920's the ASL (American
Soccer League) was the equivalent to the English
or Scottish Football Leagues in Great Britain. The
US Open Cup Finals(which at
that time was called the
US National Challenge Cup) were equivalent
to the British F.A Cup Finals.
[See Source Note:
Colin Jose (Canada) and Dave Litterer (USA)]
During his years in North America Robert appears
to have played both in Canada and the U.S.A.
Recorded statistics show him as playing on both
sides of the border, the first I have on record
to date being in Windsor Ontario Canada in July
1926.
We have record of Robert playing a game against
the Touring English Football Association
on 29 July 1926 in Windsor Ontario, representing
Essex County F.C, Ontario. Robert
also appeared for the Windsor All Stars
team in Ontario, Canada on 4 July 1927, playing
against The Scottish F.A Touring team.
He represented the Windsor Football Club.
Then on 1 June 1931 whilst playing with
Chicago Bricklayers they played in the
series against Scotland's Glasgow
Celtic Touring Squad at Cubs Park,
Chicago, Illinois USA.
Robert's first recorded USA Soccer League appearances
were with
Philadelphia
F.C , playing 29 games during the 1926-27 season.
It was the start to his new career in which over
the following 10 years he would play for such clubs
as
' New Bedford Whalers
' and 'Providence
in Massachusetts.
'Chicago Carpenters' and 'Chicago Bricklayers'
in Illinois. Then he made his home with the 'Stix,
Baer and Fuller ' team of St Louis Missouri.
It was the time known as 'The Golden
Years' in American soccer history.
Notable occasions for Bob in the American
Soccer
Leagues include National
Challenge Cup(Later known as the
US Open Cup) Runners-up medal whist playing
for Chicago Bricklayers in the 1931 US National
Challenge Cup
Final. Runners-up again in 1932 with Stix, Baer
and Fuller of St Louis, and eventually
National Challenge Cup Winners Medals in 1935 with the same
team. St Louis Soccer League(SLS) Champions 1933,1934
and 1935, and many more medals won from other competitions and
International Medals
during this period. |
|
Robert Paton Gregg
- Soccer Career - Resume |
|
1899 14 July |
Born Darvel
Ayrshire Scotland |
1917 March 2
Age 17 |
Enlisted Royal Scots
Regiment at Ayr Ayrshire
52318 Pt Robert P Gregg (WW
I) |
1921 Sept
Age 22 |
Football
Club:
Irvine Meadow FC,
Hurlford, Ayrshire, Scotland.
[Ayrshire First Division
winners 1921-22] |
1923 August
Age 24 |
Football
Club:
Kilmarnock FC,
Ayrshire, Scotland. |
1924 July
Age 25 |
Football
Club:
Galston FC,
Ayrshire, Scotland. |
1925 July
Age 25 |
Football
Club:
Nithsdale Wanderers FC,
Dumfries Scotland. [Scottish
Div III Champions]
|
1926 April
Age 26 |
Football
Club:
Galston FC,
Ayr's, Scotland. |
1926 May 26
Age 26 |
Date of Robert Gregg's arrival in
Quebec, Canada
from Scotland |
1926 June 30
Age 26 |
Date of Robert's
1st U.S Visa(arrival)
signed to play in the
North
American Soccer League
(ASL) |
1926
July 12
Essex County Canada vs. English
F. A Tour |
English Football Association
Tour, 1926.
July
12, 1926(Bob's
27th Birthday), in Windsor, Ontario.
Bob played for Essex County.Essex: Brown – Diffell,
Robert
Gregg
– Watt, McLaughlin, Grieve –
Wright, Inglis, Stark, Holt,
Mercer.
English:
Sewell – Barkas, Keeping
– Magee, Foxhall, Waugh – Harris,
Jack, Rawlings, Wainscott, Tunstall.
Essex County 2 (Mercer,
McLaughlin), English F.A. 5 (Rawlings, Wainscott 2, Jack, o.g.) HT:
Att: 8000
[Ref 1.
History of Canadian Soccer.Com
]
[Ref.2.
Ottawa Citizen Newspaper
write-up] |
|
Note: re Archie Perry - future
Brother-in-Law to Bob Gregg |
1
August 1926 -
Date of Archie
Perry's arrival in
Quebec, Canada from
England |
1926-1927
Age 27.
|
Football
Club:
Philadelphia FC,
Pennsylvania,
USA. - [Bob's
1st USA Soccer Club, playing
variously at
Full Back
and
Center
Forward positions].
Philadelphia were eliminated in the
First
Round of the
U.S.A National
Challenge Cup by Bethlehem
Steel.
See a newspaper write-up
24
December 1926
'Bethlehem Globe-Times -
Pennsylvania - Christmas Day
Match'
See a newspaper write-up
28
March 1927
'Bethlehem Globe-Times -
Pennsylvania'
NOTE: Philadelphia F.C Were
later
suspended from the American
Soccer League. The
suspension resulted from the
illegal playing of nine
unregistered amateurs
against the J & P Coats team
in a league game at
Pawtucket, R. I., April 23
1927.
The club was also assessed
the "maximum fine allowed by
league bylaw." |
1927
July 4,
Windsor
All Stars Canada vs. Scottish
F.A Tour |
The Touring Scottish
FA
played the
Windsor
All-Stars
at Kelsey
Park, Ontario (CANADA).
Bob Gregg (listed as Bob Greig)
represented the Windsor Football
Club. Among other locals
were Canadian
National Railroad and Canadian
Club. These all-stars included
Maurice Honeyman and Tommy McGowen
(soon to be Walkerville FC players).
Result,
Windsor
All Stars 2,(Mercer, Visser)
Scottish F.A 4 (Muirhead 2,
Cunningham, Cook). HT: Att: 4000. Scottish F.A: Hamilton – W. McStay, Blair – Morrison,
Swallow, Craig – Archibald,
Muirhead, Munro, Cunningham,
Cook. Windsor:
Orr (Canadian) –
Robert Greig
(Windsor), Maurice Fairhurst
(Canadian) – Inglis
(Canadian), Tommy McGowan
(Windsor), Joe Spence (CNR)
– Ponic (Windsor), Maurice
Honeyman (CNR), Gerrit
Visser (CNR), Jackson (CNR),
Bobby Mercer (Windsor).
Referee: Dave Evans
(Detroit).
This, likely was
an off-season (summer) appearance
for Robert
with Windsor, before moving
back to the ASL to perform with
New Bedford and Providence respectively.
[Ref 1.Chuck
Zsolnai, International Soccer
Archives] [Ref 2.
History of Canadian Soccer.Com
]
[Ref.3.
Ottawa Citizen Newspaper
write-up] |
1927-1928
Age 28
|
Football
Club(1):Bob
joined
New Bedford
(Whalers) FC Massachusetts,
USA. [League
Champions Runners-Up]
and reached the
First Round of The
National Challenger Cup
conceding to J&P Coats 2-1 |
1927-1928
Age 28
|
Football
Club(2):
Providence FC Massachusetts
USA. By at least January 1928,
Bob was playing for this
club which was
eliminated from
the U.S.A
National Challenge Cup
in the 2nd
Round on 28 January 1928.
Also
see a
newspaper write-up
'Bethlehem Globe Times -
Pennsylvania' 10
February 1928 regarding a
National League Match
against Bethlehem Steel.
|
|
Note: re Archie Perry - future
Brother-in-Law to Bob Gregg |
1927-1928
Walkerville Soccer Club Windsor
Canada won the Western Inter-league
Champions Cup.
Archie Perry can be seen in
the
Team photograph
 . Walkerville F.C
also appeared in the
USA National Challenge Cup
being
eliminated by Holley Carburetors
in the First Round on 22 January
1928. |
|
Note: |
1929 June 5
( Robert Gregg Married
to Margaret Perry in Windsor
Ontario Canada ). Age 29
|
|
1929 Aug 9 |
Returns to U.S.A
(U.S
Visa return details - 9
August 1929) To-date: No football
records for Bob Gregg traced
between February 1928 and
November 1929. |
1929
October
Age 29 |
Football
Club: Chicago Carpenters Soccer
Club,
[Ref offer letter on file 20
Jan 1930]
.
Carpenters went as far as
the First Round of
the National Challenge Cup,
being eliminated 3-0 by
Sparta ABA
on 16 December 1929. |
Note: |
21
November 1929 (Margaret
Gregg Jnr. Born
Chicago, Illinois.)
|
1930
Dates
as yet unconfirmed)
Age
30 |
Football
Club:
Holley Carburettors of Detroit
Michigan.
[Assumed
-
Ref offer letter on file]
. Holley Carburetors
reached the Finals(Western
Division) of The National
Challenge Cup on 10
March 1930 conceding to
Bruell Insurance |
1930-1932
Age
31.
Archie Perry -
Brother-in-Law to Bob Gregg
also played in this team |
Football
Club:
Bricklayers
FC, Chicago,
Illinois.
USA [National
Challenge Cup Runners-Up]. (Bob was often listed
as [Bob GREIG] in sports
reports as can be seen
in the '1931
US National Challenge Cup Finals'
. Bob scored from a 57th
minute penalty in the 1931 National
Challenge Cup Final 2nd game
against Fall River(New
York Yankees) at Mills
Stadium, Chicago, IL.,
saving his team from a shut-out
in a 1-1 draw. However, In the
2nd game replay-match at
Sparta Field on
19
April 1931, Bricklayers
lost 2-0 finishing as
National Challenge Cup Runners-Up.
The Bricklayers also were
Runners-Up to Sparta SC in
the Peel Cup on 14 June
1931. Bob left
Bricklayers early in the
1932 season to move to St
Louis, Stix Baer & Fuller.
Note: re Archie Perry:
Bob's Brother-in-law
Archie Perry also
played for The Bricklayers
F.C from about October 1930.
Chicago Tribune Newspaper
Report: Nov 2, 1930. BRICKLAYERS
SOCCER TEAM TO MEET
OLYMPIAS.'The Bricklayers line-up
will Include
Bob Gregg and Archie
Perry, the
latter being a center half-back
recently arrived from
Canada. ...' |
Note: |
30 March 1931 (Robert
Gregg Jnr. born Chicago,
Illinois.)
|
1931 June
21
Chicago Bricklayers vs. Glasgow
Celtic Tour |
Glasgow Celtic’s 1931
North American tour:
On June 21, 1931 at Cubs Park
in Chicago, Illinois. Attendance
11,000. Half Time score 3-0.
Attendance: 11,000.
Celtic 6
(R. Thomson, Wilson 2, Napier,
Hughes, McGhee).
Chicago
Bricklayers 3
(Imrie, Cuthbert).
The teams were:
Celtic:
J. Thomson – Cook, McGonigle
– Wilson, McStay, Scarfe – R.
Thomson, A. Thomson, Hughes,
Napier, McGhee.
Chicago Bricklayers:
Neate –
Bob Gregg,
Hugh Davidson – Bob Thompson,
Tom Scott, Billy Ogilvie – Greenless,
Baba Vicek, Imrie, Clem Cuthbert,
Willie McLean.
[Ref 1.
The Celtic Wiki]
[Ref 2.
Celtic Programmes On Line
] |
1931-1932
Age 32 |
Football
Club:
Stix, Baer and Fuller FC,
St Louis, Missouri, USA [National
Challenge Cup Runners-up]
and
[SLSL
League 3rd Place].
Bob moved to
St Louis
from Chicago Bricklayer to
join
Stix, Baer & Fuller.
His new club faced the
previous Chicago club in the
Semi-Final, winning from
a 3 match series.
Stix, Baer & Fuller
then
faced New Bedford in the
National Challenge Cup Final
on 2 April 1932 at
Sportsman’s Park - St.
Louis. Bob's team were again
runners-up.
This was a 2nd National
Challenge Cup Runners-Up medal for Bob in
2 seasons. Stix, Baer & Fuller went
on to be National Challenge
Cup Winners for
the next 3 seasons |
1932-1933
Age 33 |
Football
Club:
Stix, Baer and Fuller FC,
St Louis, Missouri, USA [National
Challenge Cup
Winners].[SLSL
League
Champions]. Bob missed the Semi-Finals & Finals of the National Challenge Cup due to
injuries received in the
Quarter Finals replay-match
on 12 March
1933 |
1933-1934
Age 34 |
Football
Club:
Stix, Baer and Fuller FC,
St Louis, Missouri, USA
[National
Challenge Cup Winners].[SLSL
League
Champions]. (On-going serious
injuries kept Bob on the sick list
most of this season) |
|
Note: |
26 January 1934 (Roberts
mother Margaret Gregg dies
in Darvel Ayrshire Scotland) |
1934-1935
Age 35 |
Football
Club:
Stix, Baer and Fuller FC,
St Louis, Missouri, USA
[National
Challenge Cup Winners].[SLSL
League
Champions]. (Stix, Baer and Fuller
were renamed the
St Louis Central Breweries team
mid-season 1934-35). Bob
returned to the field of
play
following a long period of
injuries, and was available
for the Semi-Finals and
Finals of the 1935 National
Challenge Cup.
He replaced
Maurice Kramer
as substitute
at right
back
in the
Final game on 12 May
1935 at Newark Stadium
New Jersey, to finish up
with his first
National Challenge Cup Winners
Medal. This was to
be the finale of Bob's lengthy soccer
career and his years in the
U.S.A. [Ref:
Colin Jose Soccer Historian
].
(The following season 1935-36
the team
changed name once again to St
Louis Shamrocks winning
the SLSL league and runners-up
in the National Challenge
Cup) |
C. 1935/1936
Age 36/37
|
Returned to Scotland UK |
1955 4 Nov.
Age 56 |
Died:
Ipswich Suffolk England
|
Additional References
|
1. See
FULL STATS for Bob Gregg's
appearance in the U.S
National Challenge Cup
from 1927 - 1935.
Courtesy of
Aldo Benni
2. Also See:(Wikipedia
- Bob Gregg Footballer)
NOTE: Some other Soccer
career links on this page also point
to Wikipeda content
3.P1100. Chicago Tribune News Paper match report
with pictures of Bob Gregg-Chicago Bricklayers FC
12 Apr 1931 National Challenge Cup.
 4.P1101. Chicago Tribune News Paper match report of Bob Gregg-Chicago Bricklayers FC
12 Apr 1931 National Challenge Cup. |
|
|
5. See photos of historic
U.S.A National Challenge Cup
and American Soccer History
Medals at:
International Soccer Archives
|
|
|
| Letters and contracts in my
collection indicate that Bob achieved a long and
successful career in the sport he loved so much.
However, circumstances were also to change in his
personal life with his planned intentions to return
to Darvel. I am told from some old-time Darvel residents
of the day that poor Nan MacKelvie was left far
behind and jilted! |
 |
U.S. OPEN CUP(National Challenge Cup) 1926 - 1935 |
|
|
Winners |
Runners-Up |
|
|
1935 |
Central Breweries F.C. (St. Louis) * |
Pawtucket Rangers |
7-6 |
|
1934 |
Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C. (St. Louis) * |
Pawtucket Rangers |
5-0 |
|
1933 |
Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C. (St. Louis) * |
New York Americans |
2-1 |
|
1932 |
New Bedford F.C. (New Bedford, MA) |
Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C. (St. Louis) * |
5-2 |
|
1931 |
Fall River S.C. (Fall River, MA) |
Chicago Bricklayers * |
2-0 |
|
1930 |
Fall River S.C. (Fall River, MA) |
Cleveland Bruell Insurance |
2-1 |
|
1929 |
Hakoah All Star F.C. (New York) |
St. Louis Madison Kennels |
3-0 |
|
1928 |
New York National F.C. |
Chicago Bricklayers |
3-0 |
|
1927 |
Fall River S.C. (Fall River, MA) |
Detroit Holley Carburetor |
7-0 |
|
1926 |
Bethlehem Steel (Bethlehem, PA) |
St. Louis Ben Millers |
7-2 |
|
| For a
while Robert lived in Chicago, a city said
to have been almost entirely under the control of
the Mafioso. It was the era of prohibition, the
gangster mobs, the Speak-easies and the Charleston.
The 1920s brought international notoriety to Chicago
as gangsters battled each other and the law during
the Prohibition era. In later years Robert would
tell many a captivating tale of the likes of Al'
Capone and his gangster accomplices. Of gang warfare,
the shoot-outs between the 'cops' and the 'mob'
- and the rows of dead 'villains' laid out on the
side-walks for all to see.
|
[Source Note: I am grateful
to Colin Jose who is the leading soccer historian
in Canada, and in addition to many papers written
about the American Soccer Leagues, is author of
"The Complete Guide to the North American Soccer
League" and 'The American Soccer League 1921-1931
: The Golden Years of American Soccer (American
Sports History Series)'.
Also to Dave Litterer who maintains the website:
http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/
The USA Soccer History Archives
are maintained by Dave Litterer.
(spectrum@sover.net)
These two gentlemen have supplied a great deal of
information regarding Robert Gregg's whereabouts
and Soccer Club details during his time in the USA.]
Review by Dave Litterer: The American Soccer
League 1921-1931 : The Golden Years of American
Soccer - Colin Jose. Comprehensive statistical history
of a long-forgotten league.
(1998)
This book fills a critical gap in the historic literature
of American Soccer, by providing a comprehensive
statistical history of the first true major soccer
league in this country. The ASL was as powerful
as the NAFL during the 1920's, but later folded
and faded into complete obscurity for decades, existing
as little more than rumour. Colin has single handedly
reconstructed their entire history from box scores
and news articles culled from newspaper microfilms.
His reconstruction of a significant part of American
soccer history comes at an important time as the
professional game enjoys unprecedented growth and
new fans are beginning to rediscover the game's
long heritage in the United States.
The statistical summaries are thorough, from player
stats to linescores, and team histories. The news
items and description of league activity is fairly
basic but adequate. Most interesting are essays
illustrating how the league fits in with the rest
of the American soccer landscape of the era, and
the extensive records of European stars who were
attracted to the league by its generous salaries.
There is a nice selection of rarely seen photographs
of early players and teams, including Archie Stark,
the Boston Wonder Workers and the New York Hakoah
All-Stars.
This is a good follow-up to Colin's earlier 1989
statistical survey; "A Complete record of the North
American Soccer League".
Also: published 2001 by Colin Jose, Roger Allaway
and David Litterer: The Encyclopaedia of
American Soccer History
Published 2003 by Colin Jose. NAFL-A North American
Soccer League Encyclopaedia.
READ AN ARTICLE BY DAVE LITTERER :
USA - An Overview of American
Soccer History |
Email from Colin Jose to Alec Gregg 19 March
2000
----- Original Message -----
From: "Colin Jose"
To: " Alec
Gregg"
Cc: "David A. Litterer"
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2000 4:14 AM
Subject: Your father - Robert Gregg
Hi Alec,
One of the problems with tracing players in
North America is that no one seemed to keep
any records, and therefore we don't know as
much as we would like. However, I can
add to what Dave Litterer has told you about
your father.
After he left New Bedford he
seems to have moved to Chicago
where he played for a team called the "Bricklayers".
This was one of the best teams in the U.S. at
the time and in 1931 they reached the
U.S. Open Cup final, the championship
of the United States. You can equate it
to the Scottish or English F.A. Cup Finals.
In the final they played the Fall River
F.C. It was supposed to be a
home and away series. In the first game
played on April 5, 1931 at the Polo Grounds
in New York (attendance 12,000), Fall River
won 6-2, with Bert Patenaude of Fall River (a
member of the U.S. World Cup team in 1930) scoring
five goals. The second game played April
12, 1931 at Mills Stadium in Chicago (attendance
8,000) ended in a 1-1 tie, with your
father scoring the Bricklayers goal.
Even though Fall River had won one game and
lost one game for some reason a third game was
played. This took place on April 19, 1931 at
Sparta Field in Chicago (attendance 4,500) with
Fall River winning 2-0. But there is an odd
twist to this story, because part way through
this season the Fall River franchise had been
transferred to New York City and renamed "New
York Yankees". However, because the team
had entered as Fall River it appears as Fall
River in the records, even though they played
in jerseys that said New York Yankees.
Then in the deciding game Fall River only had
11 available players, one of whom, the captain,
former Scottish international Alex McNab had
a broken arm. McNab could not play but
he did dress and go out for the coin toss.
Then he retired and Fall River played with 10
men.
The Bricklayers team contained the following
players in playing order with the first names
where known. Neate -
Bob Gregg, Hugh
Davidson – Bob Thompson, Tom Scott, Billy Ogilvie
- Greenlees, Jimmy Munro, Davie Coutts, Clem
Cuthbert, Willie McLean. Others who played
were Martin, Hugh Hill and Tommy Hill.
The only one I know a little more about is Willie
McLean, who seems to have played for Clydebank
and later played for the U.S. in the World Cup
of 1934. Friends in St. Louis tell me
that Willie McLean Disappeared sometime around
1946 and was never seen again.
One year later your father was playing
in St. Louis for a team called
Stix, Baer and Fuller.
Willie McLean moved to St. Louis with him.
This team was owned and operated by a large
department store, and many of the players worked
in the store as salesmen. Stix,
Baer and Fuller reached the U.S. Open Cup final
in 1932 (so that's two finals in a
row for your father) and played New Bedford
Whalers. Unfortunately his team lost again.
Both games were played in St. Louis and on March
27, the teams played to a 3-3 tie. On
April 3, New Bedford won 5-2. The Stix,
Baer and Fuller team was, Charles La Barge
- Bob Gregg, Tom
Erbe - Harry Hebberger, Bill Lehman, Elmer Benoist
- Willie McLean, Eddie Hart, Jack O'Reilly,
Lou Ahrens, Frankie Pastor. Others who
played were Jimmy Roe, Joe McCarthy and Rudge.
I met Jimmy Roe about three years ago, but he
has since passed on.
Stix, Baer and Fuller reached the
U.S. Open Cup Final again in 1933 and
1934, but your father was not in the
line up in either years, although it seems that
he was with the club. Sometime after the
1934 season ended the department store stopped
sponsoring the team and ownership passed to
St. Louis Central Breweries. The team,
now known as St. Louis Central Breweries,
reached the final again in 1935
and won for the third year in a row. They
played Pawtucket Rangers and the final went
to three games. In the first game played
in St. Louis the Breweries won 5-2, in the second
played in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the teams
tied 1-1. In the deciding game played
in Newark, New Jersey Pawtucket won 3-1.
So each team had won a game and one was tied.
The aggregate score was St. Louis 7, Pawtucket
6. The cup went to St. Louis.
Your father played in one game, the final game
in Newark
as a substitute for Maurice Kramer at right
back. The Breweries team was Johnny Hamm
- Maurice Kramer(Bob Gregg), Jimmy Nolan - Eddie
Kane, Bill Lehman, Harry Hebberger - Alex McNab,
Billy Gonsalves, Bert Patenaude, Jimmy Roe and
Willie McLean. Others were Frankie Pastor
and Ollie Bohlman. And yes that is the same
Alex McNab and Bert Patenaude who played for
Fall River back in 1931. Another notable
player with St. Louis then was the great Billy
Gonsalves, perhaps the finest American born
player of all time.
I don't know anything about your father playing
in Detroit for Holley Carburettors, but that
doesn't mean that he didn't. As I say
very few records were ever kept. Most
of what I know I have had to research myself
and when teams won the U.S. national championship
in those days it was always easy to find more
information. Sorry I cannot add anything
about Canada either.
There were at least two daily newspapers in
St. Louis in those days, the Globe-Democrat
and the Post-Dispatch. One of them published
short bios of the players with Stix,
Baer and Fuller on
September 15, 1934.
Your father's bio reads. "Bob
Gregg, fullback. Gregg has been on the
sick list all season, but is expected to be
of some assistance in the remaining games.
He and McLean came here together after starring
with the Bricklayers. The 30 year old
full-back, who is one of the longest kickers
in the game, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland
and made an international reputation while with
Kilmarnock. From this you could
come to the conclusion that he missed some finals
through injury.
There was good coverage of soccer in
the St. Louis papers in those days with lots
of photographs. St. Louis has, along with
Fall River, always been one of the centres of
soccer in the U.S.
As a result of all
this your father ought to have had at least
one U.S. Open Cup winners medal and two losers
medals, along with many more from other competitions.
Colin Jose
|
|
Email from Colin Jose
to Alec Gregg 11 March 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: "Colin Jose "
To: "Alec D Gregg "
Sent: 11 March 2001 22:25
Subject: Walkerville Soccer Club - Windsor
Alec,
It has been some time since I was in touch.
However, just recently I have come across some
information that I think will be of interest
to you.
First of all on your website you mention
Walkerville F.C., who were
Western Inter-City Football League Champions
in 1927-28. At the time you contacted
me you may remember that this puzzled me, because
the only Walkerville I could find at the time
was nowhere near Windsor, where your relatives
lived, but on the western side of the lower
peninsula of Michigan.
Now I have discovered that the reason I could
not find Walkerville on a map of Ontario, is
because it is a district of Windsor, and not
a separate town or village. The only place I
could find it was on a street map of Windsor.
Walkerville did in fact have a soccer
team at least as far back as 1920 playing
in the Detroit and District league,
and at that time they were members of the
Michigan State Football Association
and not, as one might expect, the Ontario
Football Association. At various times
teams from Windsor have played in a cross-border
league with teams from Michigan, because Windsor
is a long way from the other large cities of
Ontario and much closer to the cities in Michigan
across the river. Such a league still exists
today.
The fact that Walkerville were in effect registered
with the United States Football Association
and not with the Dominion of Canada Football
Association allowed them to enter the United
States Open Cup competition. So far I have been
able to find that they entered in 1920, 1921
and 1922 at least. In 1922 Walkerville won its
first three games before being defeated in Pennsylvania
by a team from Jeanette, which is near Pittsburgh.
The players who played for Walkerville in that
competition were: Wighton, Mullen, Clacker,
Stevenson, Blackburn, Ramsey, McGrain, Biggar,
Spence, Steele, Lyons, Miller, Hughes and Buckley.
In looking at your Walkerville picture of some
years later I can find a G. Steel (without the
e) and that makes me wonder if it is the same
player as the one who played in 1922.
Also in that picture I can find a M.W. Honeyman,
who is probably Maurice Honeyman, who later
became a part of the Ontario Soccer Commission
from 1948 to 1951.
In that same year, 1922, a second team from
Windsor, Windsor Rovers also entered the competition,
they won one game and lost the second, but included
in their line up are two players named Gregg.
They are listed as E. Gregg and C. Gregg. The
other players on this team were Roberts, Ridley,
Hornsby, A. Robinson, Reeves, Kincaid, J. Robinson
and Mercer.
I will be looking into this a lot more in the
weeks to come and I will also be in touch with
the soccer people in Windsor who are currently
doing some research of their own. I am sorry
but I haven't been able to get to Cornell University
in well over
a year, otherwise I would have made a photo-copy
of the game in which your father scored.
I see you have re-organized your website. It
looks great.
One final thought. Would it be possible for
you to have a copy made of the Walkerville picture.
If you would make a copy I would be happy to
pay for the cost.
Sincerely,
Colin Jose
|
Email from
Chuck Zsolnai to Alec Gregg 14 July
2009
- Original
Message -----
From: chuck zsolnai
To: alec gregg
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:57
PM
Subject: Attn Alec - Bob Gregg Footballer
Hello Alec,
In updating the information in Colin
Jose's book (American Soccer League)
I have found additional data that
was omitted in the original publication.
In the biographies section, Bob
Gregg was not included even though
he is acknowledged to have played
in the ASL.
He also participated in two significant
non-ASL matches:
On 26 March 1927 - The famous Bethlehem
Steel FC played Philadelphia FC
in the Open Cup 1st round match.
As the expected powerhouse won 3:1,
but it was
Bob Gregg who
scored the lone goal for the Philadelphia
side.
On 4 July, 1927 - The Touring
Scottish FA played the
Windsor All-Stars
at Kelsey Park, Ontario (CANADA).
Bob Gregg (listed as Bob
Greig) represented the
Windsor Football Club among other
locals - Canadian National Railroad
and Canadian Club. These all-stars
included Maurice Honeyman and Tommy
McGowen (soon to be Walkerville
FC players)
Although this may have been an off-season
(summer) appearance with Windsor,
it was at least a stop before moving
back to the ASL to perform with
New Bedford and Providence respectively.
I'm sure this will lead to more
findings. Your Gregg Family website
was the key to new research.
Many thanks.
Chuck
International Soccer Archives
|
On 4 July, 1927 - The touring Scottish
Football Association played the
Windsor All-Stars at Kelsey
Park, Ontario (CANADA). Bob Gregg (listed as
Bob Greig) represented the Windsor Football
Club, in the All Stars
line-up.
Other players were from Canadian
National Railroad and Canadian
Club. These all-stars included Maurice
Honeyman and Tommy McGowan (soon to be
Walkerville FC (Canada) players).
This may have been an off-season (summer) appearance
with Windsor before moving back to the
ASL in the 1928-1929 season.
That year Bob played with New Bedford and Providence
respectively.
P131. Archie Perry.
Walkerville Soccer Club 1927-28
|
A sporting colleague,
and great friend to
my father
at that time, was a young man who later
became our uncle. He was
Archie Perry[P902],
also a British immigrant, and from Sunderland
England.
Archie played for Walkerville Soccer Club,
Windsor in Ontario, Canada, and stands proud
in the photograph from 1928 taken when they
were Western Inter-City Football League
Champions (1927-1928). He also played in
USA soccer leagues ,often in the same
clubs as Bob Gregg. Archie arrived in Canada
aboard the Steamship ATHENIA (Anchor
Donaldson) from Liverpool England on 1 August
1926. Port of arrival: Quebec, Quebec.
Aged 23 |
Archie's older sisters,
Marion Fletcher Perry[P901] and
Charlotte 'Sissy' Perry[P900]
were married to William (Billy) Lawrence and Conrad
(Pat) Knudsen, respectively. They were the first
of the Perry family[F170]
to settle in Ontario Canada, some time between 1919
- 1923. Back home in England the men had worked
in a new and advancing technology of the time. They
were 'electricians' employed as technicians in electric
lighting and cinema projection, and their skills
would be much in demand in this new land. Post war
business was booming in Canada and the USA, and
with the introduction of assembly-line production
in the motor industry, they soon found work as auto-electricians
at the new Ford and Chrysler motor plants. They
did well and prospered.
P395. 'Bon Voyage' 1920's |
By 1925, the Perry
sisters
and their husbands had established homes
in Windsor, Ontario, and sent word for their
younger sister Margaret to join them.
Margaret Perry[P528]
was my mother. She was born at 7 Sussex
Street in Sunderland County Durham England
on 10 April 1906, and was sixth in issue
to a family of eight surviving children.
Her parents traded in the town as fresh
fish dealers, and her elder brothers worked
in the steel and ship building industries
located on the busy rivers Tyne and Wear.
Margaret set off unaccompanied from
her then address at 19 Peel St Sunderland,
and embarked upon the long sea voyage from
Liverpool England to Canada - a brave venture
for a girl who was barely 19 years old.
She would see neither her parents nor brothers
again for 10 long years. |
P37. Margaret Perry
C1926-27 Canada |
From the Canadian
Immigration Records (1925-1935) we know
that Margaret arrived in Quebec, Canada on
Friday, 3rd July 1925. She sailed from Liverpool
England on the Steam Ship 'Montrose'
of the
Canadian Pacific Railway Company,
which arrived with 220 Cabin Class
and 301 Third Class passengers.
[Read on-line Newspaper of that day -
The Montreal Gazette or
see
Graphics Image Example P392.
Also see
graphic of
Ship Arrival times for the Montrose at Quebec
Port-
4am - from the same edition of The Montreal Gazette].
The Montrose was just 5 years old, having
made its maiden voyage from Liverpool to
Quebec in 1920.
Towards the end of her long Atlantic
sea voyage, Margaret would first catch sight
of land again as the ship steamed up
the Cabot Straits between Newfoundland
and Nova Scotia, then into the Great
Gulf of St Lawrence. Some would disembark
at Prince Edward Island whist Margaret's
journey continued inland along the Great
St Lawrence River as far as Quebec City.
Then overland
by train
- to Windsor Ontario, through
Toronto and
Montreal .
Finally to arrive at Windsor, south
of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie lay to
the east and Lake Huron to the north.
Across the border were the northern
states of the USA - Michigan, Pennsylvania
and Missouri. Only 15 years earlier
in 1910, and on this same route from
England, the infamous Dr Hawley Crippen
and Ethel Le Neve were arrested for
the murder of his wife Cora, on board
the previous SS Montrose. Ethel Le Neve
was disguised as a boy for the journey
from England to Canada. Captain Henry
Kendall became suspicious of their true
relationship and contacted London by
radio. This was the first time that
radio played a part in an arrest. Chief
Inspector Walter Drew came aboard disguised
as the pilot when the ship entered the
St Lawrence River, and arrested them.
[Note:
In the year 2010 forensic genetics
tests would declare that the remains
of the body in the Crippen case
could not have been those of his
wife, for which he was tried for
murdering]. |
|
One-way fares West would have been between 50-150
Canadian Dollars depending on cabin class.
|
Canadian Immigration Records
(1925-1935) Archibald Perry
Surname:
Perry.
Given name: Archibald.
Age: 23.
Sex: M. Nationality: En
Date of arrival: 1 August 1926.
Port of arrival: Quebec, Quebec
Ship: ATHENIA, Anchor Donaldson .
Reference: RG76 - IMMIGRATION,
series C-1-a. Volume: 1926 volume 12. Page: 28. Microfilm
reel: T-14725
View Records at Canadian Libraries and Archives
|
P100. The 1920s Steam Ship Athenia
(2) on which Archie Perry travelled to Canada in 1926 |
Athenia (1)
1903-1917 also torpedoed and sunk
off Inishtrahull, Ireland on 16th Aug.1917 loss of 15
lives.
Athenia (2)
1922-1939 torpedoed and sunk off Inishtrahull, Ireland;
loss of 128 lives. (First ship to be sunk in WWII 3rd
Sep.1939) |
|
Athenia (1) 1904 1917
torpedoed and sunk off Inishtrahull, Ireland;
loss of 15 lives.
Athenia (2) 1923 1939
torpedoed and sunk off Inishtrahull, Ireland;
loss of 128 lives. (First ship to be sunk in
WWII 3rd Sep.1939)
ATHENIA 1903(1)
7,835 gross tons, length 478ft x beam 56ft,
one funnel, four masts, twin screw, speed 14
knots, accommodation for 12-1st class passengers.
Launched on 20th Oct.1903 by Vickers. Sons &
Maxim for Donaldson Bros, Glasgow, she started
her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Montreal on
21st May 1904. In 1905 she was fitted with additional
passenger accommodation for 50-2nd and 450-3rd
class passengers and her tonnage increased to
8,668 g.t. Her first voyage as a passenger ship
started 25th Mar.1905 when she left Glasgow
for St. John. N.B and continued sailings to
St. John and Quebec / Montreal. In 1913 she
transferred to Donaldson Line Ltd and in 1916
went to Anchor-Donaldson Line. On 16th Aug.1917
she was torpedoed and sunk while 7 miles north
of Inistrahull Island, Northern Ireland by the
U.53 while on passage Montreal to Glasgow with
the loss of 15 lives. [North Atlantic Seaway
vol.3 by N.R.P.Bonsor] [Donaldson Line by P.J.
Telford]
ATHENIA 1922 (2)
The ATHENIA was built in 1922 by Fairfield Co
Ltd, Glasgow for the Donaldson Line of Glasgow.
She was a 13,465 gross ton ship, length 526.3ft
x beam 66.4ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw
and a service speed of 15 knots. There was accommodation
for 516-cabin and 1,000-3rd class passengers.
Launched on 28/1/1922, she sailed from Glasgow
on her maiden voyage to Liverpool, Quebec and
Montreal on 19/4/1923. She was used on the Cunard-Donaldson
Line joint service. In March 1927 she was refitted
to carry 314-cabin, 310-tourist and 928-3rd
class passengers. She had the unfortunate distinction
of being the first ship sunk in the war, on
the day that war was declared. Torpedoed by
the German submarine U.30 when 250 miles West
of Inishtrahull, Northern Ireland on 3/9/1939
and sank with the loss of 128 lives. [North
Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P. Bonsor, vol.3, p.1014]
- [Posted to The ShipsList by Ted Finch -8 April
1998]
My father took that same voyage in 1926 from
Liverpool to Quebec. From Canadian Immigration
Records (1925-1935) it can be seen that he too
travelled on the Steam Ship Montrose,
his journey being nearly a year after Margaret's,
arriving on 26 May 1926. We have records from
the American Soccer League(ASL-USA) of
him playing for Philadelphia Football Club in
1926 aged 27. He obtained his American work
visa, on 30 June 1927, port of arrival being
Detroit. He arrived on the 'D&W' Ferry, which
I presume to be 'Detroit and Windsor', and would
confirm that he arrived via Canada. Presumably
before this Robert had commuted across
the border to play in the North American League.
Ships travelling directly
from Europe to locations in the USA would have
taken a southerly direction from Nova Scotia,
heading down to the Gulf of Maine on the eastern
seaboard of America. Passengers would disembark
probably at Boston Massachusetts, or steam on
through Long Island Main to New York.
Windsor, in the Canadian Province of Ontario,
lies to the east of the St Clair River which
links the Great Lakes' Erie and Huron. Detroit
Michigan in the United States of America is
situated to the west, and it is this waterway
which provides a natural border. As it is today,
the crossing was even then an extremely busy
place, with thousands of people busily to-ing
and fro-ing to their work places, on pleasure
trips and shopping expeditions. American citizens
would quietly smuggle home the occasional bottles
of prohibited liquor, yet unbeknown to many
of them - this was where the Mafia illegally
imported it by the truckload.
Robert Gregg
and Archie Perry would often have used that
crossing by local ferry. Today the River is
spanned by a huge bridge, and underneath by
the Windsor Tunnel. They travelled to football
league venues that spanned the northern states
of America and into Canada. It was through introduction
by Archie, that
Robert
and Margaret
met. They subsequently married in 1929, just
one month after the great Wall Street Crash.
As early as May that year, much official communication
traversed between Canada and
Robert's
hometown of Darvel in Scotland. Although
Robert's
birth certificate clearly showed his surname
to be spelled 'Greig',
his young sister
Isabella Greig[P568]
informed Margaret,
his wife to be, that the spelling was incorrect.
For a now unexplained reason, 11 of his brothers
and sisters were registered in the name of
'Gregg',
yet Robert
and Isabella, the youngest two, were registered
as 'Greig'.
Because Robert
and Isabella were born in a different location
to their brothers and sisters, it is reasonable
to assume that this was a simple case of the
local Church Minister or Registry Clerks spelling
the name as they thought fit, a not un-common
occurrence by officialdom in those days.
Finally, a letter sent from the Registrar General
in Edinburgh, Ref. No. M.54/14/ 26 May 1929
was received. Having been directed through Reverent
John Jack, Minister of Darvel, it stated...
'on reference being made to the Entry of Death
of the father of the young man in question,
it is found that his surname is recorded therein
as Greig and that registration
in that spelling was made on the information
of a son who clearly adhibited his signature
in the Register as WILLIAM GREIG.' .... 'at
registration of the birth of ROBERT
the father clearly signed his name in column
(5) as MATTHEW GREIG and is no longer alive
to depone the facts of the case or to adhibit
his signature afresh in what is alleged to be
the correct spelling of his name'.... 'as Mrs
Gregg is alive, she might consult a Law Agent
as to the expediency of having an Affidavit
made touching the spelling of the name, which
if desired could be recorded in the Books of
Council and Sessions in the General Register
House here'.
Both Robert's brother
William Gregg[P558]
and his father were registered at birth as Gregg.
The surname spelling on Matthew's marriage certificate
is also the same. Why Grandfather used the spelling
is not known, and if the affidavit was ever
made, we will not know without further involved
research.
Clearly all documents relating to Robert
after that time, with the exception of his American
Work Visa [No. 62,217 July 17 1929], appeared
as Robert Paton Gregg. . I suspect the
surname spelling of Greig on his visa related
to his possession of his birth certificate naming
him as Greig, and it was this which was offered
to the authorities as his source of identification.
Robert and Margaret's marriage certificate clearly
names them as GREGG, and this was the name used
on Margaret's American Immigration visa.[No.62,408
July 10 1929.
|
Note the differing spelling of the surname on the
two Identification Cards - Greig and Gregg
|
![Margaret [Doyle] Gregg](images/tP15Mdoyle1932.jpg)
P15. Margaret [Doyle] Gregg Scotland
C.1932 |
1929 was the year of the big
American stock market crash, followed by the Great
Depression. Margaret and
Robert married on
Wednesday 5 June
1929 in Windsor Ontario Canada. Back in Great
Britain, on that same day, and following the result
of the recent General Election, Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin would tender his resignation to King
George VI. Ramsay MacDonald would be summoned to
Windsor Castle on the following day where he would be asked
by the King to form the next Government as
Labour Prime Minister. [View
Ontario Gazette Graphic] or [Ontario
Gazette - Interactive Online].
On 9 August 1929, Margaret and Robert migrated across the
border to live in the USA. Port
of Arrival was Detroit Michigan. They lived in Chicago
Illinois, where their first two children, also named
Margaret[P532]
and Robert[P534]
were born. |
![Margaret [Doyle] Gregg](images/tP16memorMDoyle.jpg)
P16. In Memoriam Card.
Margaret Gregg (Doyle) 1934
|
Letters and offers of contracts dated
over the next few years showed addresses
for other locations in Illinois and St
Louis, Missouri. In early February 1934,
a letter arriving from Scotland was
received at the Cote Brilliant Avenue,
St Louis address - using the present
spelling of the name - 'Mr. R.
Gregg'.
The letter refers to the children's Grandmother Margaret
Gregg[P513-Doyle]. Having been widowed in 1909 she was
now in her seventies. With her youngest son
away in America, she longed often to see
him before she died. She would ask her daughter
Isabella to write to him and say 'tell
Bobby it's
time to come home - tell him and I know
he will come'. Sadly, she was never
to see her son again for this particular
letter also contained a card of remembrance
and the details of her last days. |
Robert
played his final four years in soccer
at the top 'Stix, Baer and Fuller'
Soccer Club
of St Louis.
They won the National Challenge
Cup for three
consecutive years - 1933 -1934 and
1935, but he had sustained severe
leg injuries which led to him missing
games in part of the 1933, and
most of the 1934
seasons. There were two newspapers
in St Louis in those days - the
Globe-Democratic and the Post Dispatch.
One of them published short biographies
of the players in the Stix-Baer-Fuller
team. On 15 September 1934 the one
pertaining to Robert reads....
" Bob Gregg,
fullback. Gregg
has been on the sick list all season,
but is expected to be of assistance
in the remaining games. He and Willie
McLean came here together after
starring with the Bricklayers.
The 30 year old fullback who is
one of the longest kickers
in the game, was born in
Ayrshire, Scotland and made an international
reputation while with Kilmarnock."
[Note: Robert was actually aged
35 not 30]
However, Robert did return
to the field of play, and
continued through to received a
Winners Medal
for the Open Championship in 1935.
That would be several
Cup Medals,
League Medals,
International Medals and others
in
5 consecutive years from 1931 to
1935. This was to be the proud 'finale'
of his American Soccer League career.
|
Elinor
Smith. I remember my mother once
telling me about her windy and noisy experience
of flying in an
early two seater bi-plane in St
Louis Illinois, USA. How she was
dressed in flying jacket and
helmet with goggles. She also
mentioned a female pilot, 'The
Flying Flapper', of the time,
who was well known for her dare
devil flying antics and stunts.
I was able to trace the
following information to one
Elinor Smith online at
Cruiseline.com, and a superb
video at YouTube which also
portrays the lifestyle, music,
and the environment of the
1920's and 30's in USA.
Elinor Smith was born in 1911. She knew she was born to fly at the age of 6 when she took her first airplane ride. She started taking lessons at the age of 8. She was fortunate at that time to have parents who supported her in what she wanted to do. Her mother didn’t want to deny her daughter opportunities just because of her gender and her father had always had a passion for planes. These things helped her in her quest to fly. Elinor set many aviation records. Most of these records came because of her age. She was youngest woman to fly solo at the age of 15. At the age of 16, she became the youngest person to earn a pilot’s license in the U.S. On October 21, 1928 at the age of 17, Elinor flew under four East River Bridges in New York City. The bridges she flew under were the Queensboro, the Williamsburg, the Manhattan, and the Brooklyn Bridges. She is the only person ever to accomplish that feat. Her first world record was the endurance record she set on January 31, 1929 of 13 hours, 16 minutes, and 45 seconds. During that flight was the first time she had ever landed at night. In April of 1929, Elinor again broke the endurance record making it now 26 hours, 23 minutes, and 16 seconds.
Later that year, she teamed up with Bobbi Trout and set a joint record endurance flight of over 42 hours and became the first women to refuel a plane in midair. She also became the first person, male or female, to receive a transport pilot’s license at the age of 18. While she was still 18, she became the first woman to pilot a military aircraft.
In 1929, she became the first female executive pilot of the Irving Chute Co., for a nationwide tour to demonstrate parachute drops . In 1930, she became the first woman to test pilot for Long Island’s Fairchild Aviation Corp. In 1931, she became the first woman to fly over 30,000 feet, but she wanted to beat that record. So, a week later, she went up again and set a new women’s altitude record of 34, 500 feet.
Her proudest moment though was in 1930 when all the licensed fliers of the U.S. were asked to name the best female and male pilots in the United States. Elinor won. She said, “It was such an honor to know that my peers considered me the best.”
Elinor then married a year or two later and had two children. While she was pregnant with her third child, she thought maybe she shouldn’t be flying; that she should be home taking care of the children. So, she quit flying. Almost 25 years past before she piloted a plane again.
Elinor loved to fly; Flying was meant for her. She is such a great example to the aviatrix of today.
Elinor Smith (Sullivan) died
24 Mar 2010.
Watch this
Great Full sized Video of Elinor Smith
online at YouTube
or
Click here to watch a small
320x240px version - 27 Mbytes
|
By 1936-37 season,
the St. Louis League, and USA Soccer
Leagues in general, were in decline.
Familiar teams of years past had long
gone. It would take many years and many
attempts before USA soccer would rise
to anything like it's former glory.
At age 36,
my father was beginning to suffer
from the inevitable sports injuries
associated with the game, and after
seventeen years of playing professional
football, 10 of them in USA, it was
prudent for Robert
to hang up his boots, and the next move
for the family was 'home' to Great Britain.
I am told that he distributed
the Football Medals he won in those
years in America to family members in
U.K, but sadly I have been unable to
locate any to this date.
For a while they lived in Ayrshire,
Scotland and then Sunderland, England.
Robert's
ambition to open a golf range in Darvel,
Ayrshire met with local opposition and
that idea was eventually laid to rest.
|
P17. Robert Paton
Gregg - golfer 1930's |
P94. Archie Perry
outside a glass house at Newborn
Suffolk UK 1938 |
P95. Archie Perry
British Army |
In
1938, the family moved south to rural
East Anglia living and working on a
smallholding at Newborn in Suffolk.
The properties were owned by the 'Land
Settlement Association'. The holdings
were sited on uncultivated land and
leased to the occupants as tenant 'farmers'
- somewhat reminiscent of the old crofters
system in Scotland. The land needed
to be cleared, cultivated and planted,
and the work was hard; the collective
produce from cattle and poultry and
vegetables being sent daily to local
markets. Part of the project entailed
the construction of enormous glass greenhouses
in which lettuces, tomatoes and fruit
was grown for the London markets. During
that period Uncle Archie Perry also
returned from America and came to live
with the family securing employment
on the construction and maintenance
of the greenhouses. |
Soon the outbreak
of World War II [1939-45] began. Conscription
was introduced and many British servicemen
were mobilised to foreign lands. Uncle
Archie Perry being one. Shortages of
every kind soon became evident and
the produce from the settlements was
commandeered for the war effort. My
brother[P536]
Archibald Perry GREGG
was born at Newborn Suffolk on the 17
May 1940. Air bases and
army barracks sprung up throughout
East Anglia and by 1943 many thousands
of conscripted GI's from the USA were
posted here.
By 1941 the Gregg family moved to the
nearby town of Ipswich, a semi-industrialised
port town, where for a further four
years they lived through the harrowing
years of that wretched war. Britain
was besieged by the might of the German
war machine, and the area was under
constant attack from bomber planes directing
their aim at the factories and gas supply
tanks near the Ipswich Docks. Sirens
sounded to warn of the daily air
raids, and many cold nights were spent
in the Anderson air-raid shelters hastily
dug into back yards. Gas masks were
issued to civilians who were advised
to carry them at all times. Food and
clothes rationing became the order of
the day, and it was almost fourteen
years later, and nine years after the
end of the War, that rationing in Britain
finally ended on 9 July 1954.
In spring of 1943
my mother
was expecting her fourth child. With
the war still raging, and the dangers
of the nightly bombing In Ipswich, she
decided to travel north to her home
town of Sunderland to stay with her
brother
Alexander Perry[P889]
and his wife
Elizabeth (Lizzy)
Skelton[P1599]
for the birth. They, and their son Alexander
became the godparents to the child born
on 29 January 1944 in Sunderland. This
was to be the last born of my parents
four children - and none other
than myself,
Alexander Doyle
Gregg[P539].
|
![Margaret [Perry] Gregg 1956](images/tP50MG17081956.jpg)
P. Margaret Gregg
(Perry) 1980's |
World War II eventually
ended in 1945, leaving Europe and many
other parts of the world in ruins. The
family remained in Ipswich where Dad
died suddenly on November 4 1955, a
relatively young man aged only 56 years.
A post-mortem was carried out because
of the suddenness of death. The report
revealed the cause of death to be Coronary
Thrombosis and Artheroma.
Mother aged 49, was entitled to
a State Widows Pension - all of 10 shillings
a week. That equates to 50 new-pence
in present day decimal currency.
Consequently, she needed to work hard
to maintain a reasonable standard of
living. |
![Margaret [Perry] Gregg 1956](images/tP104RPGdCert.jpg)
P104. Robert
Paton Gregg Death Cert 1955
|
| During
the 1950's, women's wages were usually
less than 50% of that earned by men,
and Mum went out to three regular
jobs. Early mornings she worked as a
school cleaner, and in the daytime she
worked in the bottle sterilising plant
of a local dairy. Her evenings were
taken up in restaurants where she worked
late hours to further supplement her
income. |
![Margaret [Perry] Gregg 1980's](images/tP22MG1980s.jpg)
P22. Margaret
Gregg (Perry) 1980's
|
|
By
the 1960's Mum, with my sister Margaret,
had established a successful company,
catering for outside functions such
as weddings and banquets. They made
a reasonable living from this for a
number years, and from time to time
we all chipped in with our sleeves rolled-up.
Having achieved a good and long life
Margaret finally passed away from
'Old age and Bronchopneumonia'
at Crabbe Street Nursing Home,
Ipswich on 10July
1995. She was in her 89th year, and
to date (2010), has been the longest
surviving member of my direct family,
other than Agnes
Currie[P440] who survived to be
90 years old; and lived from 1766 to
1855. Robert and Margaret Gregg are
laid to rest at Ipswich Lawn Cemetery,
plot numbered 'UB 210' in the register
of purchased graves, and on the plan
of the said cemetery. |
P99. Margaret
Gregg Death Cert 1995 |
P19. Matthew Gregg[P564]
1964 - Far right |
P19. This picture of the Darvel Juniors
Football Team, a semi-professional club
and was taken in 1967. On the
far right is the Club Secretary. He is
Matthew Gregg[P564]
son to Matthew Gregg and Margaret Doyle,
and elder brother to Robert Paton Gregg.
Robert had played for this Club some 50
years earlier. Football involvement was
obviously popular in the Gregg family. |
FOR MORE PHOTO'S GO TO CHAPTER
10
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4.P1101. Chicago Tribune News Paper 
