James Comrie

The journeyman footballer is often considered a modern phenomenon. The truth is that since the games inception players have darted from club to club seeking gainful employment. James Comrie rarely settled for long at one club, his career epitomises the numerous Scottish players who were the backbone of the English game prior to the Great War.

Born 31 March 1881 at Denny, Stirling. James began his career in 1904 as a centre half with the now defunct Third Lanark. Success came quickly. Third Lanark met Rangers in the 1905 Scottish Cup Final. After a scoreless draw, Third Lanark won the replay 3-0. The following season they reached the final again, but lost 0-1 to Hearts.

After making 78 appearances for Third Lanark, scoring 18 goals, James tried his luck south of the border when he joined Southern League Reading in 1906.

During his stay at Reading he made 36 appearances, including a first round FA Cup tie against Bradford City at Valley Parade on 12 January 1907. City won 2-0 in front of 18,000 fans. He gained something of a reputation for missing or turning up late for training, but he was obviously well thought of given the number of appearances he made for the Royals.

In May 1907 James joined Second Division Glossop North End, where, as club captain, he made 38 appearances, scoring 1 goal in 1907/08. He played twice against City that season and obviously caught the eye.

On 16 September 1908 Bradford City manager Peter O’Rourke and committee member Ike Newton travelled to Glossop to pay a ‘very substantial’ sum for James Comrie and William Gould. They made their Bradford City debuts during a 0-4 defeat at Liverpool on 19 September. James struggled to gain a foothold in the first team. However on 19 January 1909 he played when City defeated Workington in the first round of the FA Cup. From then on he was a virtual ever present – making 48 appearances, scoring 3 goals. He left Valley Parade for Lincoln City on 23 November 1910.

The move wasn’t a success. James made only 12 appearances for the Imps, scoring once. He was a part time player and worked as an attendant at Bracebridge Asylum, outside Lincoln.

In the summer of 1911 he left Lincoln City, but remained in the area, turning out for Grantham once sometime in either October or November 1911. He then returned to his native Scotland to end his long career with Stenhousemuir, where he remained until May 1912.

James returned to the Lincoln area, perhaps seeking employment. He enlisted into the army at Lincoln and joined the Northumberland Fusiliers. He served as a private with the 1/7th battalion.

They were already in the front line, having crossed the Channel on 20 April 1915 aboard SS Invicta. Almost immediately committed to fierce fighting in the infamous Ypres salient in Belgium, they had suffered heavy casualties. Doubtless, James was one of the reinforcements drafted in to replenish the ranks after the early losses. By August 1916 they were a battle-hardened unit who had spent their entire deployment in the Ypres sector.

On 3 August 1916 they moved from their training base at Dranoutre, south east of Ypres, to relieve the 6th Northumberland Fusiliers in the front line. On the afternoon of 4 August the Germans opened fire on their positions with light and heavy trench mortars. The following day British artillery retaliated with a bombardment of the German trenches. The enemy replied with trench mortars. That evening the Northumberlands were relieved by the Royal Irish Rifles.

The battalion war diary reported one killed and three wounded during their two-day stint in the front line. The battalion marched to Neuve Eglise and by the 9 August they were in billets at Meteren.

James Comrie is listed has having died on 9 August 1916 - when the Northumberland’s were out of the line. He could well have been one of the three reported wounded and died as a result of those wounds. Or he may have been the soldier reported killed during the two days in the trenches. Sadly, we will probably never know, as James has no known grave. He is therefore commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium.

On 26 May 1938 James’ nephew - Malcolm Comrie - signed for Bradford City from York. Although a regular with the reserves, Malcolm couldn’t break into the first team and left for a position outside football in York on 6 December.

Thanks to the Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland for information on James' War Service.

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