The birth of Coventry City Ladies Football Club - and how the car industry helped it to prosper

Local historian Lionel Bird has recently been undertaking research on the story of women's football in Coventry.  

Using resources at the Coventry History Centre, situated within the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Lionel has traced the story of Frederick Selman, who was to become a pioneer of the women's football world.  

Since many of Coventry's car factories played a key role in this story, we thought that readers of the Coventry Transport Museum blog would be interested to read Lionel's fascinating account:

The outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 provided the catalyst for the emergence of women's football in Coventry.  The city's huge industrial manufacturing base was adapted to produce vital munitions as part of the war effort.  Thousands of men bravely joined up to fight, creating a massive shortage of skilled labour.  The men were replaced by women workers who became known as "Munitionettes".  They worked long hours in difficult conditions to produce munitions and shell cases.  They had to endure food shortages, discrimination by some male workers and a serious lack of suitable living accommodation.  But they got the job done.

It was during these difficult times that women's football prospered in Coventry. Ladies factory teams were formed at companies such as Rudge-Whitworth, Humber, White & Poppe, Coventry Ordnance, Coventry Chain and Daimler.  Matches were played regularly between 1917 and 1918 to raise money for Coventry's wounded military personnel.  On the pitch, the women footballers enjoyed themselves which must have been a pleasant change from the harsh conditions of factory life.  They were complimented on the quality of their play and some women continued playing after the war had ended.  

In 1921 Frederick Selman, a labourer employed at Sterling Metals in Foleshill, formed Coventry City Ladies Football Club.  He became trainer and chairman.  Some of the players he recruited had links to the Humber Ladies team.  He must have been inspired by the exploits of the world famous Dick Kerr's Ladies from Preston, who had just appeared at Highfield Road in a match against Saint Helen's Ladies, in front of 27,000 people.  Coventry City Ladies would later play Dick Kerr's Ladies and Stoke-on-Trent Ladies. Although they lost both matches, they did not disgrace themselves.  Frederick was a Coventry City supporter and had a long association with the Saint John's Ambulance Brigade, who regularly volunteered their services for home matches.  

Coventry Ladies' Football Club - 1921.  Picture used courtesy of www.donmouth.co.uk.

Frederick was born in Twerton, Somerset, in 1890.  He joined the Fifth Dragoon Guards and was based at Woolwich Barracks in 1911.  He volunteered for action in August 1914. He was subsequently wounded and honourably discharged in September 1915.  In 1921 he resided at Corporation Cottages in Radford.  On 5 December that year the Football Association sensationally banned women's football on League grounds, citing potential health problems as the reason. Frederick attended a meeting in Blackburn twelve days later where he proposed the formation of the English Ladies Football Association.  He was elected a vice-president of that organisation.  A national cup competition was introduced and he attempted to form a Coventry Women's League.  Unfortunately, this failed, probably due to insufficient finance and lack of support.  

Frederick Selman died in Blackpool in 1952 whilst on holiday.  He was a keen dancer and apparently collapsed on the dance floor of the Tower Ballroom.  The ban on women's football was lifted in 1971 and the game today, prospers both locally and nationally.  I think Frederick would be immensely proud of the current success experienced by Coventry City Ladies Football Club.  

LIONEL BIRD

COVENTRY CITY F.C. HISTORIAN.   

Lionel undertook much of his research for this article at the Coventry History Centre - the city's ultimate historical resource for local historians, those tracing their family history and much more.  

                

First World War Maudslay Lorry restoration project - February 2014 update

One of the major projects currently being undertaken by the Friends of Coventry Transport Museum alongside Museum staff, is the restoration of a 1916 Maudslay Subsidy Chassis.

The Friends of the Museum are recording their work on this project on a separate Maudslay Project Blog, but we asked Curator of Vehicles Christiaan van Schaardenburgh and volunteer Sara Johnstone to give an update of the project's progress during the past few weeks, for readers of this main Museum blog.  You can also read an introduction to the project here. 

In the past three weeks the Maudslay WWI lorry has undergone more work to restore it to its former glory. The cab floor is nearly finished; constructing the floor from timber with a removable middle section replicates the original structure seen in the photographs the restoration team is working from. 

The bent sub-chassis, now straightened using a hydraulic straightening kit, has now been fitted with the engine mount. The chassis has also had the body mounting brackets fitted. Before they went on, they were fabricated, altered and textured to look like castings. This important detail, for those with a discerning eye, makes for a beautiful touch as it mirrors the original Maudslay.

The four steel wings to fit over the wheels have arrived from Manchester. ‘Vintage Wings and Radiators’ made the wings specifically for this Maudslay. Various photographs show that Maudslay lorries may have had steel wings or ply-wood wings, there was not a standard but this Maudslay has been fitted with steel as per the photographs that the restoration team is working from.

And finally, the backboard is in the process of being cut to length, when it is finished it will be sent off to be fitted with canvas.

Article by Sara Johnstone.

UPDATE: We were also very pleased to see the Maudslay lorry project featured in the Coventry Telegraph this week!

Maudslay Lorry Restoration Update - January 2014

One of the major projects currently being undertaken by the Friends of Coventry Transport Museum alongside Museum staff, is the restoration of a 1916 Maudslay Subsidy Chassis.

The Friends of the Museum are recording their work on this project on a separate Maudslay Project Blog, but we asked Curator of Vehicles Christiaan van Schaardenburgh and volunteer Sara Johnstone to give an update of the project's progress over the last few months, for readers of this main Museum blog.  You can also read an introduction to the project here. 

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The engine has been beautifully restored and returned to the Museum workshop by Richard Peskett and has since been fitted to the chassis. It is refurbished, using most of the original material. Richard specialises in vintage vehicle restoration/maintenance so the Museum is extremely grateful for his contribution to this project.

When the bulkhead was being restored by Museum Technician Chris Strawbridge, it became apparent that a side rail of the sub-chassis had been bent at some point. Chris took great care to straighten it out. He said "It is our goal to restore the vehicle as authentically as possible. The lorry is one of a kind and no-one is left alive who would have built or worked on one.” He is therefore working from old photographs and research carried out by himself, Steve Gosling and Friends of the Museum to restore the vehicle as close as possible to how it would have been built in 1916.
The bonnet sides have been manufactured by Martin Robey Engineering Ltd, free of charge!  Martin and his team have done a fantastic job in making new engine side covers, because the originals were too far gone and could only be used as patterns. After preparation and priming, the refurbished strengthening bars were fitted using the same method of riveting as the bonnet top. 

 A new cab floor structure was also constructed with timber, reinforced with a steel strip. The workshop restoration crew used Whitworth nuts left over from the Thrust SSC tunnel construction!

A mock-up of the seat box was constructed, replicating all the vital dimensions and mounting points for the canvas roof hoops. This seat box mock-up will be shipped off to someone who will build the canvas for the top of the vehicle. This will enable them to work on the canvas roof at a more convenient height.
A new steering wheel has been cast to as near to the original pattern as possible, based on research done by Steve Gosling, who also made the pattern. The wheel casting is in the process of being fettled and smoothed in preparation for the rim to be powder-coated: this is so that the wheel will closely replicate the original finish it would have had. 

Steve Gosling with the new steering wheel

Steve has kindly offered to assist us in making many of the other small fixtures and fittings which the vehicle would have had, but are either broken or missing. As the majority of the vehicle’s components were damaged over time, his contribution is invaluable!
The Maudslay has been entered for the London to Brighton run for historic commercial vehicles in May, so we still have a lot of work to do before that date.
We will keep you posted.
Sara Johnstone

The Maudslay restoration team