Fred Buck

Frederick Richard Buck (2 November 1879 – 5 June 1952), better known as Fred Buck, was an English footballer who played as an inside forward and centre half. He played in the Football League for West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool, and the Southern League for Plymouth Argyle and Swansea Town.[1]

Fred Buck
Personal information
Full name Frederick Richard Buck[1]
Date of birth (1879-11-02)2 November 1879
Place of birth Audley, England
Date of death 5 June 1952(1952-06-05) (aged 72)
Place of death Stafford, England
Height 5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m)
Position(s) Inside forward / Centre half
Youth career
1895–1897 Stafford Wesleyans
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1897–1900 Stafford Rangers ? (?)
1900–1903 West Bromwich Albion 22 (6)
1903–1904 Liverpool 13 (1)
1904–1906 Plymouth Argyle 92 (40)
1906–1914 West Bromwich Albion 287 (90)
1914–1917 Swansea Town 8 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Buck was born in Audley, Staffordshire.[2] He joined Stafford Wesleyans in August 1895, moving on to Stafford Rangers in July 1897.[3] In November 1900 he signed for West Bromwich Albion before a move to Liverpool in May 1903.[3] Buck was signed by Plymouth Argyle in January 1904, then re-joined West Bromwich Albion in April 1906.[3][4] Buck was Albion's top league goalscorer in the 1907–08 season, scoring 18 times, and again in 1909–10 when he found the net on 16 occasions.[5] In May 1914 he moved to Swansea Town, where he finished his career, scoring one goal in eight league appearances.[6] He retired in May 1917.[3]

Buck's parents were Richard Samuel Buck (1839–1909) and Harriet Johnson (1840–1910).[2] He appeared in the 1881 census in Alsagers Bank, and in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses in Stafford. In the 1901 census he was an apprentice fitter, and in the 1911 census he was described as an engineer fitter. During his time with Plymouth Argyle, he was described as being 5 foot 6½ inches tall and barely 11 stone. In July 1913, he resided in Stafford and he married Stella Margaret Williams on 15 July 1913.[7] In the First World War, from 1915 to 1918, he served in the Army Service Corps where he gained the British War Medal.[8] In 1918, he was resident in Cramer Street, Stafford. From 1921 to 1931 he was a publican in Rugby, Warwickshire at the Victoria Inn, 1 Lower Hillmorton Road. Between 1945 and 1952 he was a clerk in the Grinding Wheel Works in Stafford. He died in Stafford on 5 June 1952,[9] and is buried in the Eccleshall Road Cemetery.

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 41. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
  2. Birth Certificate
  3. Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Breedon Books. p. 40. ISBN 1-85983-474-4.
  4. "Fred Buck". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  5. Matthews, Tony (2007). West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record. Breedon Books. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-85983-565-4.
  6. Jones, Colin (2012). Swansea Town & City Football Club: The Complete Record, 1912–2012. From Southern League to the Barclays Premier League. Llandybie: Dinefwr Press Ltd. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-904323-26-6.
  7. Marriage Certificate
  8. "Frederick Richard Buck | Service Record | Football and the First World War". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  9. Death Certificate
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