Max Woosnam
Maxwell Woosnam: (Student and Centre-half)
Max Woosnam was probably the most gifted sportsman to ever play for Corinthian or Casuals, notching up 17 appearances and two tours for Corinthians, and five appearances and one tour for Casuals before the War. Along with C.B. Fry, he is also one of the most written about Corinthians with many biographies and articles to his name. Commentators have eulogised about his achievements, suffice to say he was considered to be one of the best amateur footballers of the day, and renowned for his precise passing and tackling. He was what today would be called a attacking central midfielder, although he could also play left or right half, and was described as ‘hard as nails’, almost as good as a striker as a midfielder.
He entered two Olympics, winning tennis gold and silver, won a Wimbledon doubles title, captained the Davis Cup team, played as an amateur for Chelsea and Manchester City and believed that playing sport for money was ‘vulgar’. He was also famous for taking a pocket handkerchief with him into games, to mop up the sweat created by running around for 90 minutes!! He would be seen holding it in his hand whilst playing.
Born in Liverpool in 1892 to Welsh parents, Max attended Winchester School, before going up to Cambridge, where he collected no less that six sporting blues for different sports.
Returning to England on August 30th, he enlisted on the same day and was granted a commission in the Montgomery Yeomanry as a 2nd Lieutenant, and rising to Captain by the end of the War. Throughout the war, he played exhibition football matches or tennis tournaments, usually to raise money for the War or a charity. Woosnam played in the Corinthian-Under-Arms games in 1915, and in 1917 and 1918, he captained the English Army against the Belgian Army. He also played a number of tennis tournaments for the same purpose throughout the war.
It may have been that the military and political leaders of the war, felt they couldn’t risk the greatest sportsman of the age becoming another casualty, and they kept Max home, to be used to raise morale and money for charities and the War effort, and protect the national sporting treasure.
Looking a little closer, there appears to be general agreement that Woosnam served with the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry. However, contrary to accepted biographies, this regiment was not present at Gallipoli or on the Western Front, and there are no records of him transferring to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers so perhaps the accepted story of Max sharing officers quarters and fighting alongside Siegfried Sassoon, could be a fabrication or mistake? Further, newspaper coverage of his wedding to Miss Edith Johnson in 1917, stated he was with the Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment, a division of the Montgomery Yeomanry, which didn’t leave Britain during the war.
Nevertheless, Max survived the War and on January 1st 1919 he relinquished his commission and returned to civilian life as a student a Cambridge. However, he almost lost his life ten years later, when in 1929, he purchased a pet parrot from which, he and his son both contracted typhoid fever. For a while, his he was considered dangerously ill.
In 1922 he made his only appearance for England as Captain in the 1-0 win against Wales in the home Internationals but played two other games for England AFA. In 1923, Woosnam broke his leg playing for Manchester City which signalled retirement from top-level sport.
Also known as ‘Gentleman Max’ he became the President of the Corinthians and the Isthmian League, and continued to play golf and tennis until after 31 years as the personnel manager of ICI’s head office, he retired in 1954. A heavy smoker all his life, he died in 1965, aged 72 from respiratory failure. Woosnam himself said "If I was any good at anything, it was football".