Harry Dolman

[BobbyC]

Did Harry ever play for the reserves ?

I found this old team sheet being auctioned today and his name is on it.

[Guest]

Was H.J Dolman I think.. would have been 39 by 1936.   I'll go look on citystats a mo..

[Guest]

I can see reference to a 'Bill Dolman' who signed from Chesterfield in May 1934 and left for Luton Town in March 1936 - was a goalkeeper so would suggest maybe him? 

[leader]

36 minutes ago, BobbyC said:

Did Harry ever play for the reserves ?

I found this old team sheet being auctioned today and his name is on it.

Did you watch that game mr c

[ExiledAjax]

9 minutes ago, TomF said:

I can see reference to a 'Bill Dolman' who signed from Chesterfield in May 1934 and left for Luton Town in March 1936 - was a goalkeeper so would suggest maybe him? 

Henry/Harry (or some other 'H') William Dolman, known as "Bill" maybe? Sounds likely you've found him.

[FForbes]

37 minutes ago, TomF said:

I can see reference to a 'Bill Dolman' who signed from Chesterfield in May 1934 and left for Luton Town in March 1936 - was a goalkeeper so would suggest maybe him? 

Yes, that's him. He made 73 appearance and was almost an ever present first team keeper from the start of the 1934/35 season until December 1935.

[Coppello]

Oh, I hoped it was going to be a situation similar to this where Dolman purchased the club but played:

 

[Red-Robbo]

My favourite fact about Harry Dolman was that he was going to join the Rovers' board originally, but was advised by THEIR captain not to bother, as City would always be more ambitious.

Instead Harry came over to the bright side and was recruited as a City director by our then chairman, George Jenkins: a very distant relative of mine. 

 

[Steve Watts]

4 minutes ago, Coppello said:

Oh, I hoped it was going to be a situation similar to this where Dolman purchased the club but played:

 

Wondered where Tomlin ended up.....

[Merrick's Marvels]

1 hour ago, BobbyC said:

Did Harry ever play for the reserves ?

I found this old team sheet being auctioned today and his name is on it.

Humphrey William Dolman, known as Bill. Goalkeeper in seasons 34/35 & 35/36. 

Dodgy debut (although we won the game): "Dolman was left red-faced as Barnett's low centre struck his feet as he bent down to pick up the ball, which rolled between his legs and into the net"!

Played in the FA Cup run to R5 in 34/35 that included our record home attendance of 43,000 .v. Portsmouth    

 

[GrahamC]

14 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

My favourite fact about Harry Dolman was that he was going to join the Rovers' board originally, but was advised by THEIR captain not to bother, as City would always be more ambitious.

Instead Harry came over to the bright side and was recruited as a City director by our then chairman, George Jenkins: a very distant relative of mine. 

 

Apparently he attended a Rovers board meeting & the sole discussion was around selling their ground to the greyhound company, which they then subsequently did.

Dolman who was clearly no fool, rightly came away with the impression they lacked any ambition & so headed to the better side of the city.

My father worked for him & has a photo of him shaking hands with Harry after some works event, BDR (Brecknell, Dolman & Rogers) where he worked, were based very close to Eastville, at Pennywell Rd in Easton.

Just like when the very young Jon Lansdown told his dad that he wanted to watch a local team & Steve said he wasn’t prepared to travel out to Bath, it’s another one of those sliding doors moments.

Unlucky, blue few, .

[richwwtk]

1 hour ago, TomF said:

Was H.J Dolman I think.. would have been 39 by 1936.   I'll go look on citystats a mo..

Is citystats still alive?

I remember spending fricking hours putting all the data into that when we originally set it up back around 1996/7!

[Red-Robbo]

8 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Apparently he attended a Rovers board meeting & the sole discussion was around selling their ground to the greyhound company, which they then subsequently did.

Dolman who was clearly no fool, rightly came away with the impression they lacked any ambition & so headed to the better side of the city.

My father worked for him & has a photo of him shaking hands with Harry after some works event, BDR (Brecknell, Dolman & Rogers) where he worked, were based very close to Eastville, at Pennywell Rd in Easton.

Just like when the very young Jon Lansdown told his dad that he wanted to watch a local team & Steve said he wasn’t prepared to travel out to Bath, it’s another one of those sliding doors moments.

Unlucky, blue few, .

 

I remember my dad telling me that Harry hated carrying loose change and when he was having the Roller filled up - all manned petrol pumps in those days of course - he'd insist on rounding up, or down, the amount required. 

Occasionally he'd meet a pump attendant who insisted on the exact change being paid, but they were a fool to themselves in that case. Harry was always a very generous tipper and often tipped the attendant the then princely sum of a pound - more than enough to make up any small change shortfall.  Of course, if they were pernickety about the amount he paid at the pump, no tip was forthcoming and Harry would never use the garage again.

I met him a few times in my youth. He was a real character, as that anecdote suggests!

[BobbyC]

1 hour ago, leader said:

Did you watch that game mr c

I was on the East End mr N

[Never to the dark side]

First time I have heard us called the "bright side" and I like it.

[eardun]

3 hours ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Humphrey William Dolman, known as Bill. Goalkeeper in seasons 34/35 & 35/36. 

Dodgy debut (although we won the game): "Dolman was left red-faced as Barnett's low centre struck his feet as he bent down to pick up the ball, which rolled between his legs and into the net"!

Played in the FA Cup run to R5 in 34/35 that included our record home attendance of 43,000 .v. Portsmouth    

 

Preston rather than Portsmouth:

Highest attendance – 43,335 v. Preston North End (16 February 1935)

[Merrick's Marvels]

1 hour ago, eardun said:

Preston rather than Portsmouth:

Highest attendance – 43,335 v. Preston North End (16 February 1935)

Yes, thanks for the correction.

We played First Division Portsmouth in R4 - drew at Fratton Park, att. 29,000 then beat them in the replay at Ashton Gate, att. 42,000! Portsmouth had got to the Cup Final the previous season, losing to Manchester C.

Played First Division Preston in R5 - drew at Ashton Gate, att. 43,000 but lost the replay at Deepdale, att. 19,000. 

We were a poor team for much of the 1930s, those ties against 2 of the best teams in the land were definitely highlights during some pretty thin years for BCFC. 

[redsquirrel]

5 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

I remember my dad telling me that Harry hated carrying loose change and when he was having the Roller filled up - all manned petrol pumps in those days of course - he'd insist on rounding up, or down, the amount required. 

Occasionally he'd meet a pump attendant who insisted on the exact change being paid, but they were a fool to themselves in that case. Harry was always a very generous tipper and often tipped the attendant the then princely sum of a pound - more than enough to make up any small change shortfall.  Of course, if they were pernickety about the amount he paid at the pump, no tip was forthcoming and Harry would never use the garage again.

I met him a few times in my youth. He was a real character, as that anecdote suggests!

the first time i worked on a roller,it was adjusting the handbrake cable on HD11 at winford rd garages for its MOT. i dont think he drove it down though,did he have a chauffeur/butler type bloke?

[Guest]

5 hours ago, richwwtk said:

Is citystats still alive?

I remember spending fricking hours putting all the data into that when we originally set it up back around 1996/7!

The website is too old and vulnerable to put online anymore but I have the database still in access form and also sql. Although it’s probably lacking data from last 10-12 years.  Would love someone to take it on and rewrite it.. probably wouldn’t take much to update the database side of things to current season 

[Royz]

1 hour ago, redsquirrel said:

the first time i worked on a roller,it was adjusting the handbrake cable on HD11 at winford rd garages for its MOT. i dont think he drove it down though,did he have a chauffeur/butler type bloke?

He did have chauffer , who worked at BDR on the same section as me (maintenance) when he wasn't driving . Not sure about a butler though. 

[Red-Robbo]

2 hours ago, redsquirrel said:

the first time i worked on a roller,it was adjusting the handbrake cable on HD11 at winford rd garages for its MOT. i dont think he drove it down though,did he have a chauffeur/butler type bloke?

 

I think there might've been a chauffeur at one time, when he was getting on in years.

[leader]

8 hours ago, BobbyC said:

I was on the East End mr N

With your dungarees on I hope

[BobbyC]

12 hours ago, leader said:

With your dungarees on I hope

You know i was a dedicated follower of fashion ?

I even had silver DM's....:laugh:

[leader]

8 hours ago, BobbyC said:

You know i was a dedicated follower of fashion ?

I even had silver DM's....:laugh:

When you down this way next be good to see you