The following is a letter from Barry's son, Bob, requesting anyone who knew his Dad to contact him:
Congratulations on your excellent Web site. My late father was a pupil at Firth Park during the 1940s and the information on the site has provided me with a fascinating insight into the school. I would really appreciate it if you were able to forward this note to anybody associated with the April reunion, as I would be very interested to hear from anybody who has any recollection of my father.
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My father, Barry Blenkinsop, was born in October 1931 and I would therefore assume he started at Firth Park around 1943. I have highlighted him on an extract from the school photograph of 1947 that I found on your site – the photo would have been taken a month before his sixteenth birthday. The name Blenkinsop might be recalled by any Wednesdayites in the group. Barry’s father was Ernest Blenkinsop (see photo below) who played over 400 games for Sheffield Wednesday between 1923 and 1934, helped them to win consecutive League Championships in 1929 and 1930, and also captained the England team during this period. Although not achieving this level of success, my father was also a decent footballer, and I would expect that he featured in the school teams during his time at Firth Park. < Barry Blenkinsop - highlighted in this picture of pupils & staff from 1947 |
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After leaving Firth Park my father did his National Service in the RAF and went to Loughborough College to train to be a PE teacher. He then taught in Nottingham and Kent before taking a post as Director of Physical Recreation at York University in the late 1960s. He was actively involved in a wide range of bodies promoting Physical Education including the National Sports Council and the Football Association.
In 1982 he passed away having had a brain tumour. Shortly after his death Spike Johnson made contact with my mother and visited her in York, and appeared to have an excellent recall of my father and many of his contemporaries from 40 years earlier. After leaving Firth Park my father continued to visit Sheffield to visit my grandparents. In the early 1950’s they managed the Mason’s Arms at Crookes and then ran the Sportsman’s Inn at Crosspool until my grandfather died in 1969. < Barry's father Ernest Blenkinsop in his England team shirt |
As I grew up in York and migrated to London about 15 years ago, my knowledge of Sheffield is very limited. I would be very interested in hearing from any former pupils of Firth Park who may have any recall of my father, or the Blenkinsops of Sheffield.
Keep up the great work.
Best regards - Bob Blenkinsop (email)
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Did you know that Barry Blenkinsop's dad, Ernest, played for Sheffield Wednesday and England? He played Full Back, but Barry always insisted upon playing on the wing for the First XI. The shirts we wore on the photo were Second XI shirts because the 1st XI shirts had worn out and couldn't be replaced due to war-time restrictions. The body was green and sleeves maroon, but should be the reverse in reality. Second XI wore white shirts at that time. Not many people know dat! |
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