Jack Weare

Arthur John Weare (21 September 1912 – 1994), commonly known as Jack Weare, was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in The Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, and Bristol Rovers.

Jack Weare
Personal information
Full name Arthur John Weare[1]
Date of birth (1912-09-21)21 September 1912
Place of birth Newport, Wales
Date of death 1994 (aged 81–82)[2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1931–1933 Lovells Athletic
1933–1936 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 (0)
1936–1939 West Ham United 58 (0)
1945–1951 Bristol Rovers 141 (0)
1951 Barry Town 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Weare started his career with local side Lovells Athletic. He joined Football League First Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 1933, playing 42 times for Wolves before joining West Ham United in September 1936.[1][3]

Weare played for West Ham for three seasons, making 35 Second Division appearances in 1936–37 and 23 in 1937–38, before losing his place to Herman Conway and then Harry Medhurst in 1938–39.[4][5]

After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Weare played as a guest for Bournemouth, Bristol Rovers, Hibernian and St Mirren, where he won the Summer Cup in 1942–43. The club had played a Greenock Morton side that included Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton in the semi-final of the competition. During the match, Weare was injured as St Mirren went 2–0 down, and he moved to a position on the left wing, with centre-half Willie Kelly filling in as makeshift goalkeeper. Weare kept a clean sheet in the final, as the Saints beat Rangers by a single goal.[3][6] He served with the Royal Air Force and, during the conflict, became a qualified PT instructor and rose to the rank of sergeant. He spent the latter part of the war in India, where he was reunited with former Hammers teammate Charlie Walker (who had also played as a guest for St Mirren). Despite Weare being Welsh, the pair were selected to play for England against Scotland at Irwin Stadium in New Delhi.[4]

Weare signed with Bristol Rovers full-time on the conclusion of hostilities in 1945. He spent six years with The Pirates, making 141 League appearances. He ended his career with Barry Town in 1951, for whom he played five times in the Southern League.[7][8]

Following his retirement from football, he emigrated to South Africa, where he worked for a food processing company in Estcourt. In 1957, he moved to Salisbury, Rhodesia, and worked as a production manager until his retirement in 1987. He was living in the city, by then known as Harare, Zimbabwe, around the time of his death in 1994.[2] His brother, Len, was also a footballer.[4]

References
  1. "Jack Weare". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  2. Joyce, Michael (2012) [2002]. Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 304. ISBN 978-1-905891-61-0.
  3. Litster, John (November 2012). "W". A Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players (2 ed.). Norwich: PM Publications.
  4. Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. p. 212. ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
  5. Northcutt, John; Marsh, Steve (2015). West Ham United: The Complete Record. deCoubertin Books. pp. 168–179. ISBN 978-1-909245-27-3.
  6. "1942–43". stmirren.info. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  7. Jay, Mike; Byrne, Stephen (1994). Pirates in Profile: A Who's Who of Bristol Rovers Players. Bristol: Potten, Baber & Murray. pp. 283–284. ISBN 0-9524835-0-5.
  8. Byrne, Stephen; Jay, Mike (2003). Bristol Rovers Football Club - The Definitive History 1883-2003. Stroud: Tempus. p. 507. ISBN 0-7524-2717-2.
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