‘Gentleman John’ will never be forgotten

IF club officials have their way, John Etty will never be forgotten at Oldham.

The man who scored two tries in the 1957 Rugby League Championship win at Odsal, who set the post-war club record for tries in a season, who was one of the four ‘originals’ in the Roughyeds’ Hall of Fame and who, aged 97, was the last member of the great Oldham team to die, was given a special tribute at last Sunday’s Rochdale derby.

Following on from John’s funeral in Fleetwood, Roughyeds chairman Bill Quinn invited the Etty family to be guests of the club at the Rochdale game, at which players from both clubs lined up before kick-off for a minute’s silence.

In the Broadway Suite. former chairman John Chadwick delivered the eulogy he gave at the funeral, finishing with those immortal words:

“He wasn’t just a star on the field. He was a true gentleman, not surprisingly known as ‘Gentleman John. He will never be forgotten.”

His daughter was there – and I had the pleasure of being introduced later.

ROGER HALSTEAD.