Florrie Redford: A Love Story

28/07/2025  -  11.38

Steve Bolton

Golden Plaques for Lizzy Ashcroft and Lily Parr

Second Cousin Anita and Cousin Lesley with the Mayor at St Helens Town Hall. Source: Author's Collection

Florrie and Lizzy and Lily and Carmen…

Above is a recent picture of my lovely cousins accepting a Golden Plaque for Lizzy Ashcroft from the Mayor of St Helens in the stunning Victorian Town Hall. Also there were relatives of Lizzy’s great friend Lily Parr. St Helens town and its people have ‘taken ownership’ of their football legends and their stories are being preserved and promoted. Lizzy and Lily are on the beautiful ‘Strong Women’ ceramic mural just down the road in Lizzy’s native Parr, thanks to Heart of Glass and the famous artist Carrie Reichardt. The great St Helens Ladies FC are now commemorated with a council sponsored blue plaque at the Queens Health and Fitness centre, scene of their greatest ever game where they put the Dick Kerr Ladies to the sword, 5-1 in 1923. This is fantastic and I feel that my work over the last ten years is coming to some fruition. It is amazing what finding a suitcase in an attic can do!

One of the things that really struck me is that there is very little said about one of the all-time greats of women’s football, Preston and Paris based Florrie Redford. There is very little factual material out there about her, apart from Chris Rowe’s superb homage to Carmen Pomies (see below). I thought that this would be a good time to promote her story. I often write about the global ‘Lily Parr nonsense industry’ and the global ‘Dick Kerr Ladies nonsense industry’. Here is a little nudge in the right direction for the truly great Florrie Redford, before too much nonsense appears about her. 

Florrie Redford and Carmen Pomies

Carmen Pomies by Chris Rowe. Source: Author's Collection

An Iconic Photo

My great friend Chris Rowe used perhaps the most famous women’s football photograph on the front cover of his sumptuous history of football legend Carmen Pomies. The picture was taken on Monday 11th May 1925, at Herne Hill Velodrome. The picture shows the France captain Carmen Charlotte Marianne Pomies embracing her friend, the England captain Florrie Redford at the start of the game. Looking on is the much respected and famous celebrity referee Jack Howcroft. (Howcroft was renowned for refereeing from the centre circle in his natty flat cap and blazer). There were no ‘officially sanctioned’ internationals for women’s football in this era. Women’s football in England was banned by the F.A. in 1902 and 1921. The 1902 ban was relaxed for the First World War but never repealed. The infamous 1921 ban was not removed until a protracted series of votes and resolutions during 1970 and 1971. Apparently it is easier to ban than remove a ban!

England of course were the Dick Kerr Ladies and France were largely formed from Femina Sport of Paris. The game was the first in a 10-game tour to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland sponsored by the Shipwrecked Mariners Society. In the morning the teams had been guests of the Lord Mayor of London at Mansion House. Liverpool MP Sir Jack Benn Brunel Cohen had also treated the teams to tea on the terrace of the Houses of Parliament. This is a unique honour within the entire history of women’s football.
There are some super clips of this game available on British Pathe and BFI, where you can see my Granny Lizzy Ashcroft (left footed defender) and her great friend Lily Parr (left wing with a superb right foot shot) in action.

Suitcases from the Loft

Kelcey Ervick - ‘The Keeper’. Source: Author's Collection

Graphic Novels

In 2021, I was contacted out of the blue on my public facing email: lizzyashcroftfootballer@gmail.com  by an American Academic and ex-goalkeeper, Kelcey Ervick. Kelcey had been really moved by my story of my journey to find out about my amazing international footballing granny. She had seen the pictures of me discovering a lost suitcase of photos and letters. Could she use some of the pictures for her book? Of course! I sent off a few emails and forgot about this until a few months later. One Easter morning in 2022, I awoke to find the most elegiac images and moving text in my in-tray:

“Then one day, decades later, a grown man stumbled upon his granny’s dusty suitcase, and it all tumbled out: the boots, the balls, the souvenirs, and the STORIES.”

Underneath this beautiful prose was a line drawing of my granny, Carmen Pomies and Margaret Thornborough mucking around with the Belgian National Team in their trendy slacks and blouses at the Empire Services Bowls Club in Preston in 1934. A speech bubble is depicted coming from my granny’s mouth saying:

“We have been waiting!”

The Graphic novel is such a beautiful art form. I am not ashamed to say that this grown man shed more than a tear or two… 

Kelcey Ervick - The Goalkeeper as Outsider/ Observer

Source: Author's Collection

“The Invincibles” Play

Kelcey and I have become great friends. In September 2023, Director James Grieve put on Amanda Whittington’s play ‘The Invincibles’ at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and New Wolsey, Ipswich. I had the great honour of working with Amanda and the team as the show’s historical consultant. The historical part of the play is based upon the Sterling Ladies FC who were the greatest team of World War One and known as the ‘Dagenham Invincibles for their unbeaten record over two full war seasons.

Kelcey happened to be on holiday in London with her sister Darcy during rehearsals and she was invited to give a memorable workshop to cast and crew. Everyone was struck with Kelcey’s theme of the goalkeeper as outsider/ observer, rather like a writer. One immediately thinks of existentialist philosopher and goalkeeper Albert Camus. (My fave t-shirt!). Kelcey and Darcy also visited my village, forced me to go to the pub for fish and chips and played in my local mixed Walking Football game in the evening. It is interesting to note that we have an England Women’s Walking Football International in our midst (Kelly) and that Kelcey had never heard of walking football.

If you look carefully at the photo above, you can see actor and writer Georgia Bruce (aka Ada Fairman) and I are both wearing our Goaldiggers FC Football shirts. Goaldiggers, based in Hackney, North London, is a non-profit football club dedicated to making football more available and accessible to all women and non-binary people regardless of previous experience or ability.

Aunt Alice

Left-to-Right: Alice McGrath, Lizzy Bolton (nee Ashcroft), Roy Bolton, Alec Bolton. Source: Author's Collection

Florrie is not the Only Love Story

In 1935, Lizzy finished her magnificent 15-year career (13 years with the Dick Kerr Ladies) on a real high. She had taken over the captaincy from her great friend Lily Parr and led only the second ever DKL tour to France. By early 1936, romance in the Isle of Man had blossomed with Joshua Bolton and Alec Douglas Bolton was on the way. I am convinced that this was a marriage of love and respect. Soon after the birth of Uncle Alec, my dad, Thomas Roy was born and the family settled into life in Ardee Road, Preston with Josh working as a metalwork turner. In a twist of fate, my other grandad was a metalworking turner at a certain factory belonging to Mr Dick and Mr Kerr. In, 1949 Lizzy’s beloved Josh passed away in the family home with pneumonia and Lizzy and her two young sons faced a difficult decade. My uncle was once bought a pair of shoes by a teacher.

I have always known that effectively I had an ‘extra granny’, Alice McGrath, but she died when I was only one. I knew some bits and bobs from what my father had said and my elder cousin met her briefly when she was five years old. She was a rather forgotten figure in the family. In the treasure trove of photos, I was astonished to find the number of photos featuring her in the family archive. I knew that she was a big feature in the lives of Lizzy and the boys after the death of her husband. What I hadn’t appreciated was the number of photos of her with Josh, Lizzy and the boys all through their marriage. There were also a number of pictures of her and Lizzy at the Hospital where they worked prior to marriage. A very special, intimate and lifelong friendship. I am so pleased for them and I wish that I could have met her.

Sister Alice McGrath

Grave Marker for Alice McGrath. Source: Author's Collection

50 Years of Service in Mental Health

Thanks to a tip-off from a family member, I was able to hunt down the grave of Alice. The church is a tiny catholic church in the middle of the Lancashire countryside, near Beacon Fell in the Forest of Bowland, north-east of Preston. I found the grave marker relatively easily in the tiny cemetery. It was buried so deep that I did not at first realise it had an inscription, until I had dug it out with a shovel and cleaned it. This is the beautiful wording:

“In loving memory of (Sister) Alice McGrath. Died March 28th 1965 after 50 years of devoted service at Whittingham Hospital from Staff and Patients.”

In 1926, after the General Strike, many of the Dick Kerr Ladies had to leave their jobs at the Dick, Kerr & Co. Ltd (this is the correct way of addressing the company, according to official biographer John Shorrock), and they were offered jobs at the County Mental Hospital in rural Whittingham/Goosnargh, seven miles north of Preston. The profound stigma of working in mental health back then is hard to imagine now, and the strong, athletic women footballers were highly prized workers. This includes my granny Lizzy Ashcroft and Lily Parr. Parr never married and remained at Whittingham until her death. In a twist of fate, my family ended up back in Preston and my best mate at school was a cricket fanatic called Sanjay Chauhan, whose father was a psychiatrist at Whittingham Hospital. I ended up playing cricket for many years at the Hospital. In a memorable game one day, I was introduced to Lily Parr as she was helped around the grounds for a walk. This was very close to the end of her life.

Florrie Redford

Original Daily Mirror Press Photo. Source: Author's Collection

Florrie in Happier Times

This is an original Daily Mirror photo from the famous Herne Hill game in 1925. My granny Lizzy Ashcroft is the tall one, next to the goalie. (She stood at a statuesque 5ft 8inches/1.73metres, like her great friend Lily Parr). There are two significant men in this picture, Major Cecil Kent and George Robey. Lily Parr, ever the shy one, can be seen goofing about with her arm around George. George (aka ‘Prime Minister of Mirth’) was the legendary musical hall comedian of the day and a very good footballer himself. On the end is the only known picture of ‘Major’ Cecil Kent, whose eloquent letter in defence of women footballers was read out at the English FA ban meeting in 1921. I recently found the entire letter and reproduced it in my exhibition at Valence House Museum in Dagenham.

Florrie Redford is two to the right of Parr in this photo. The tour captain for this tour was the truly great French footballer Madeleine ‘Mado’ Bracquemond and it is interesting to note that it was Florrie’s intimate friend Carmen and not Mado who was made captain for this particular match. I do not intend to give the history of Florrie Redford in this article. I thoroughly recommend Chris Rowe’s book. Chris has been a professional historian for his entire life and he effortlessly puts the life of Carmen and her friend Florrie into context. He also has a fascinating and learned discourse about the pros and cons for historians who seek to ascribe modern day terminology to close personal same sex relationships of women footballers.

Famous in Preston

Source: BNA LEP Saturday 28 June 1919

During World War One

There were over 1,000 games during World War One, if we include the 1918-1919 ‘war season’, played by over 250 teams. The nationally famous team were the Sterling Ladies of Dagenham, who were frequently filmed by Pathé news and whose picture appeared many times in national and regional newspapers. By and large, the Dick Kerr Ladies were only a sensation locally. It should be remembered that when they had their first game, the north-east of England was having its 115th game, and it was an international in Belfast. However, the Preston newspaper, the Lancashire Evening Post was quite clear that the local stars during the war were charismatic defender and captain, Alice Kell and the up-front ‘box of tricks’ Jennie Harris and Florrie Redford. 

In an article in 1918, the Lancashire Evening Post had this to say about Florrie: 

“But there was one who stood out head and shoulders above the others, who had the style, powers, and ideas of a youth - I mean Miss Florrie Redford, the centre-half of Dick, Kerr’s.”

Florrie Redford- "Girl Scorer of 250 Goals"

Superstar Florrie Redford: Source: BNA LEP Saturday 29 September 1923, p6

1922-1924 Florrie in Paris with Carmen

Florrie and Carmen had probably two of the best years of their lives with Florrie joining Femina and living with the Pomies family in Paris. Femina won almost every trophy in sight. She made a brief return to England for the 22 September 1923, 1-0 loss to Stoke. The Lancashire Evening Post had this homage to accompany the picture above:

“Miss F Redford, centre forward of Dick, Kerr’s ladies’ team, who since the Preston side’s American tour had held a business appointment in Paris. She came over specifically to help her old club against Stoke ladies, who, however, beat the Prestonians, in a match at Colne, on behalf of the Colne Cricket Club. Miss Redford scored over 250 goals for Dick, Kerr’s in their great days, and recently scored goals for Stoke ladies on the Spanish tour, which was first offered to the Preston team. Her companion in Paris is Mdlle. Carmen Pomies, the international goalkeeper, who came over here with the French ladies’ team and afterwards remained in Preston some time and was employed at the Dick, Kerr Works.”

It is worth noting that the Daily Mirror reported in December 1921, that Florrie Redford had scored 368 times in five seasons. It is wise to treat figures from this era with some caution.

Florrie emigrated to Canada in the 1930s, to become a nurse. She returned briefly in 1938 but the old magic had gone, for both her and team. She moved in with a married sister in the midlands and helped take care of their elderly sick mother. Eventually she married a much older man and died in obscurity.

Graphic Novel - A Stunning Art Form

Original Artwork from ‘The Keeper’: Courtesy of Kelcey Ervick

Grandchild Finds Treasure Trove

The idea of a grandchild finding a lost treasure trove in an attic is ideal for the Graphic Art medium. I have discovered that the old lady, with no teeth and cardigan held together with a large safety pin was a stunning athlete, who lived a passionate life to the full. I am very lucky. This is what Kelcey had to say about the above pictures featuring Lizzy, Carmen Pomies, Lily Parr and Margaret Thornborough in 1933, in rural Whittingham:

“Along the way they collected souvenirs and newspaper articles, took photographs and put them in albums, put the albums and keepsakes in suitcases, put the suitcases in the attic, closed the door to the attic, came downstairs, raised their children, spoiled their grandchildren, though sometimes, but rarely spoke, of their long-ago teammates, of that other life when they’d been so young and so alive, and, as the players, grew older, weaker, quieter, and, finally, SILENT."

Conclusion

Margaret Thornborough, Carmen Pomies, Lizzy Ashcroft- Strong Independent Women: Gift from my friend Kelcey

Florrie and Carmen

London based graphic novelist and Goaldiggers Footballer Anna Trench, has produced a fictional novel called Florrie: A Football Love Story. The book has warm endorsement from cartoonist Alison Bechdel, as does Kelcey’s 2022, ‘The Keeper’.

In Florrie; A Football Love Story, a grand-niece discovers:

“Boxes from the attic contain photos, objects and letters, revealing football games and love affairs in Norfolk, London and Paris. Florrie’s adventures touch on both invented and real events: huge crowds at matches in London and Preston, international fixtures, dances at lesbian club Le Monocle in Paris, and the devastating consequences of the FA's 1921 ban on women's football.”

As one reviewer said, it is rooted in history. I certainly agree, it is rooted in history. I look forward to reading.

Biography

Steve Bolton was awarded a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from University College London) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Nottingham. Steve’s passion is researching and writing about the history of women’s football. I have had several articles published and he is currently working on his first book: “Granny Played Football”. Granny Lizzy Ashcroft was one of the most influential and important pre-WW2 women’s footballers. She made her debut at the age of 16 for St Helens Ladies at St Andrews in April 1921 in front of a crowd of 30,000. After the English FA ban she joined the Dick Kerr Ladies in 1923 where she played until her retirement in 1935. She was Vice-Captain under Lily Parr from 1932-1934 and in 1935 took over the captaincy from her great mate Lily and led the DKL only their second ever continental tour. Steve is custodian of the Lizzy Ashcroft Collection which is one of the foremost collections of pre-World War Two women’s football memorabilia in private hands.

Steve’s Twitter handle is: @DagenhamInvince and he can be contacted by email at: lizzyashcroftfootballer@gmail.com