Our clue here was the surname of this player E.F. Brook. For if you look in a dictionary you will find that a brook is described as "a natural freshwater stream". It is often referred as a "babbling brook", which is the reason why it is so fresh, for it continually moves along and is not allowed to go stagnant at the sides, then transfer that contaminate to the next stretch of the river when the water rises through rain and flooding.
The E and F stood for Eric Fred, and he was born in November 1907 in Yorkshire. He played for several teams, starting with Barnsley.
And he was a useful player who could adapt to any role, even, when required at short notice, as the goalie.
This set is actually two sets, or so our World Tobacco Issues Indexes reveal, describing the group as :
- FAMOUS FOOTBALLERS, Sm. Nd. . ... C18-43
A. Nos. 1/48 with caption panel on front 3 m/m deep (48)
B. Nos. 25/48, subjects redrawn, caption panel 4 m/m deep (24).
The text is exactly the same in our updated version of that book, except for a new card code, of C151-250
And I have a great surprise for you because we have not only, at last, found this exact card in the "B" printing, but featured it as another Card of the Day, on the 23rd of August, 2025