Here we have Harry Jones, which could have suggested several links, most notably Martha Jones of "Doctor Who".
In fact what we were after was another word from the card, "Champions", because The Champions was a British Sci-Fi, first screened in 1969, at least in England, as America had somehow shown it a year before. The basic plot of is that the aircraft containing three United Nations agents is shot down over Tibet and they are taken to Shangri-La. At first it is not believed that they will survive but they do (though some viewers believed that they did not, and the series was all a dream). However during their miraculous recovery they are given extraordinary powers, which they are not allowed to make public, though for some reason they seem to be able to use them to get themselves out of danger in full view of criminals and the general public. The series only lasted for thirty episodes - though there have been plans to bring it back as a feature film, none of which have yet succeeded.
Harry Jones, or at least our Harry Jones, was born on the 24th of May 1891, in Blackwell, and seems to have played all his life at Nottingham Forest. This card even tells us he was "Captain Notts Forest. Champions of Second Div. 1921-22".
It gets a bit confusing as there is another Harry Jones, born in 1911, at Haydock, and who moved about a bit, starting with Preston North End, then moving to West Bromwich Albion, and then guesting with a few teams, as his military service allowed, during the Second World War. But I have not found him on any cards, yet. However this information is useful, because we can use it to sort out who is not who.
We therefore know that our man was one of nine children, and that the last was a late arrival, not until 1911, when our Harry was twenty years old. It seems that not so long before that birth one of their children had died.
It appears that we can thank the Boys Brigade for interesting him in football, and from there he was signed up by the local Wesleyan Guild football team and also the team at Blackwell Colliery, perhaps because he was tall - he would grow to five foot nine and a half - and most miners were selected for their lack of height, which allowed them to squeeze nearer to the coal face, but we do know that also had connections with the industry, as his father was a coal miner, perhaps even at Blackwell Colliery.
From there he was signed for Nottingham Forest in October 1910, and he stayed with them until the middle of 1924. Reputedly he left them after getting injured, and he decided to retire, but he actually transferred to Sutton Town, in December 1924.
During his time at Nottingham Forest he got the nod to play for England, against France, on the 10th of May, 1923, and England won by four goals to one. And he also got married, to a local girl, in 1915, which suggests he may have either been called up about that time, or have been home on leave. There seems to be no records of his war service anyway. The couple went on to have three children, including another Harry Jones, just to complicate things still further.
There is another curious fact, for in 1939 he is reported as working at Bolsover Colliery, so maybe he was a miner after all.
And we know that he was buried on the 14th of May 1947 in Derby, but have no confirmed date of death or cause. And he died young, just before his fifty-sixth birthday
This card ties another loose end, as if you look on the back you will see it mentions the fact that the cards were also being issued with "Lot-O`Fun" comic - and we featured one of those cards as our Card of the Day way back on the 24th of September 2022. Both those magazines are listed as separate entities in our original British Trade Index, but were actually owned by Amalgamated Press, at least when these cards were issued in 1922 - but both were formerly published by James Henderson & Sons Ltd. And you can read more about James Henderson on that link above.
As for our magazine, it was launched in 1898, under the name of "Pictorial Comic Life", and it was they who changed the title to "Comic Life" in 1908. The following year they also changed the format, moving away from printing it on pink paper, and also doing the cover in colour, something which makes it one of the first ever colour comics. But just like "Lot-O`-Fun", Amalgamated Press acquired the title in 1920, and not long after this set was issued they merged "Comic Life" with "My Favourite".
The entry for this part of the set in our original British Trade Index reads as follows :
COMIC LIFE
Periodical. Cards issued 1922.
- SPORTS CHAMPIONS. Sm. 70 x 43. Black glossy photos, two pictures on each card. Nd. 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 (4). Dated 30.9.22 to 21.10.22 ... COS-1
This remains unaltered until our updated British Trade Index, when the entry reads :
COMIC LIFE
Periodical. Cards issued 1922 - 1926
- THE DANCING SCOT. About 120 x 73, die cut kilted Scot, issued in envelope 11/12/26 ... COM-130
- SPORTS CHAMPIONS. 70 x 43. Black glossy photos, two pictures to each card. Nd. 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 (4) and dated 30.9.22 to 21.10.22 ... COM-140
The following list details who is in the set, and who their partner originally was. However we have not been able to find out the details which appear on the card of James Gill, number 4, so if anyone can fill that in, please get in touch.
- September 30th, 1922 - Georges Carpentier - Heavy-weight Champion of Europe
- September 30th, 1922 - E. Barry - Sculling Champion of England
- October 7th, 1922 - Andrew Wilson - Champion 1st Division Goal Scorer, 1921-22. Middlesboro` and Scottish Inter. Centre Forward.
- October 7th, 1922 - James Gill -
- October 14th, 1922 - Jack Dempsey - World`s Heavy-weight Boxing Champion
- October 14th, 1922 - Donald McKinlay - Captain of Liverpool, Champions of 1st Division 1921-22. Also Scottish International Full-back
- October 21st, 1922 - J.T. Howcroft - Champion League Referee
- October 21st, 1922 - Harry Jones - Captain Notts Forest, Champions of Second Div. 1921-22