Pat Burke

Burke was born in Hebburn, County Durham, in 1889. His father, Thomas, was an Irish shipyard labourer; his mother, Annie, was a local girl. The 1911 Census finds the 21-year-old Burke living in Hebburn with his parents and four younger brothers, working for shipbuilders Hawthorne Leslie as an engine fitter's labourer. By March 1911, Burke was playing North-Eastern League football for Hebburn Argyle, and at the end of the 1911–12 season, he was one of several Hebburn players to join Football League clubs when he signed for Blackpool. He made his first-team debut on 22 March 1913, standing in for the injured Tom Heslop at left half in a draw at home to Bristol City in the Second Division, and played twice the following season. Burke had joined the Territorial Force in 1908 – at which time he stood only 5 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1.62 m) in height – and committed to service in the Royal Field Artillery as soon as the First World War began. He served in France, rose to the rank of sergeant, was twice wounded, and in 1917 was awarded the Military Medal. When the medal was presented to Burke the following March, he also received a gold watch from the Local Heroes' Fund, and the supporters of Hebburn Argyle subscribed for a silver tea service and a gold brooch for his wife. His discharge papers described him as brown-haired, blue-eyed, with a fresh complexion, and having grown to 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m). After the war he returned to Blackpool, where he was reported to be popular with supporters and…