Celtic in the Thirties: Unpublished works of David Potter – Peter Scarff

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The Celtic Star

·24 December 2024

Celtic in the Thirties: Unpublished works of David Potter – Peter Scarff

We continue our series on The Celtic Star where we post unpublished works of David Potter dealing with Celtic players from the 1930s and this evening it’s all about Peter Scarff…

Peter Scarff, Celtic FC.Image by Celtic Curio for Celtic in the Thirties (Vol 1 & 2) by Matt Corr.

Name: PETER SCARFF Born: March 29 1909 Died: December 9 1933 Appearances: 112 Goals: 55 Scottish League medals: 0 Scottish Cup medals: 1930/31 Glasgow Cup medals: 1930/31 Glasgow Charity Cup medals: 0 Scotland Caps: 1

Celtic in the Thirties – Volume One

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Celtic in the Thirties – Volume Two

There can be little doubt that one the greatest achievements of the National Health Service since its foundation in 1948 was the reduction and eventually the virtual elimination of tuberculosis, (TB, consumption, phthisis, the wasting disease or various other euphemisms) the scourge of the 1920s and the 1930s.

It was a totally preventable disease, but it needed money and effort to be spent on it. This was conspicuously lacking from any Government at that time. Aneurin Bevan, the man who, not without cause, would describe the callous British upper class as “lower than vermin” was still several years in the future.

Peter Scarff was born in Linwood in 1909

Peter was born in Linwood in 1909, son of illiterate Irish folk called Charles and Helen Scarff, and his early years were spent in the shadow of the Great War. Like most youngsters he found some sort of solace in the game of football, and played for Linwood St Conval’s when he attracted the attention of Willie Maley. He was watched, given a trial and signed all very quickly and became a Celtic player to the delight of his family on 27 August 1928.

1928 had been a difficult year for Celtic. Rangers had beaten them 4-0 in the Scottish Cup final, and Tommy McInally and Adam McLean were off to Sunderland. Possibly the club were well rid of McInally, prodigious player though he had been, but more of an effort ought to have been made to keep McLean. Peter Scarff would eventually fill the McInally role.

Peter Scarff. Photo The Celtic Wiki

For the moment though, he was given an even mightier comparison, for some thought that he might even be as good as Jimmy “Napoleon” McMenemy. He was certainly tricky on the ball, could pass well and was not afraid to “get stuck in”. But more than that, the attitude was correct. He was a hard worker, prepared to train and showed a determination to make the most of the opportunity which had been offered to him.

He was farmed out to Maryhill Hibs for the first part of the 1928/29 season, clearly impressed everyone there with his consistent hard work, passing ability and goal scoring that he was summoned back for the start of the Scottish Cup campaign against a team called Arthurlie, a name which still sent shivers down Celtic spines following the awful Scottish Cup defeat in 1897. Not this time, however. The forward line of Connolly, Thomson, McGrory, Scarff and Gray saw Celtic home 5-1.

Fast running, hard-working

He fitted in well. Fast running, hard-working and with distinctive hair style, he was easily recognised and in his next game, admittedly in a losing cause, he scored his first goal against Hearts, and he was never seriously challenged for his place for the rest of the season – a strange one, for Celtic Park was not unlike a builder’s yard with the new stand being built at what Maley always complained as an inordinate expense!

Peter Scarff and Jimmy McGrory. Photo The Celtic Wiki

The season was a typical Celtic one of the Scottish League now only an unlikely possibility and everyone now focussing on the Scottish Cup. For a while things looked good. Motherwell were defeated in a tense replay, but then the team went down to Kilmarnock at Ibrox in the semi-final.

Celtic now had a fine inside left

What was certain though was that Celtic now had a fine inside left. He scored a hat-trick against Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park, and earned lavish praise like “Verily Scarff’s passes are the juiciest peaches” according to the scribe of The Glasgow Observer who clearly had a sweet tooth as well as a fine appreciation of a talented young football player.

The next season, played in front of the new stand which had caused so much financial trauma to the club was not entirely without its good points, and one of them was the emergence of Peter Scarff. He was not without his injury problems, but had real hard luck in the Glasgow Charity Cup final when he was the man of the match, scored two wonderful goals, but Rangers won the Cup – on the toss of a coin! That coin, clearly minted by freemasons, allowed Rangers to claim that they won everything that year!

Season 1930/31 that more or less defines the Celtic career of Peter Scarff

It was of course season 1930/31 that more or less defines the Celtic career of Peter Scarff. Celtic first won the Glasgow Cup in October. It was a nasty, unpleasant occasion the referee curiously disallowing a Scarff goal to the puzzlement of everyone and then sending off Bertie Thomson for no apparent reason. The referee was also called Thomson, as it turned out, and does not seem to have been given many games after this one, but Scarff and the rest of the Celtic team kept their heads and won 2-1.

Bertie flanked by “Peter” McGonagle left and Peter Scarff, right. 1931 North American tour. Photo The Celtic Wiki

It was a significant victory and spurred Celtic on to greater things. Scarff was consistently successful for the club, even when he played at left half rather than his favourite inside left spot, and on February 21 1931, along with John Thomson and Peter Wilson, he was selected for his one and only Scottish cap against Ireland in Belfast. Unfortunately it was one of the worst Internationals of them all – a 0-0 draw – and Scarff was candidly described as “ineffective”. He was however in good company, for Rangers’ Alan Morton was similarly described in what was generally agreed to be a game best forgotten.

The two Cup finals of 1931 against Motherwell

1931 Scottish Cup Final ticket for the centre stand.

But no-one is ever likely to forget the two Cup finals of 1931 against Motherwell. The first one saw Motherwell 2-0 up and resisting all the pressure that R.Thomson, A Thomson, McGrory, Scarff and Napier could throw at them. At one point referee Craigmyle turned down a blatant penalty for handball and was duly chased round the back of the goal by Scarff and Bertie Thomson for doing so. It was a moment of pure theatre of the kind that Craigmyle rather enjoyed, but it did not bring the goal that Celtic craved.

It needed a McGrory prod and a, frankly, rather flukey own goal for Celtic to get the draw that they deserved, but it meant that Scarff’s brilliant contribution to the cause was rewarded with another chance.

The best man on the park

Scarff did not score in the replay on the Wednesday evening, but it was generally agreed that he was the best man on the park. Seated on the team bus that night as it threaded its way through the packed, thronging crowds to Maley’s restaurant, Scarff realised, if he had never realised before, just what Celtic meant to so many people. Things looked so good, with a tour of America now approaching, and the future rosy. It was however the best moment of Scarff’s young life. From now on, it was all downhill for both Celtic and himself.

But first he enjoyed America, an overwhelming experience for most of these young men whose life had largely up to now centred largely around villages like Cardenden, Beith and Linwood, or from areas like the Garngad in Glasgow, and now they were visiting places like New York!

Photograph taken in Detroit while on their visit to play Michigan all Stars who they beat 5-0 at the University of Detroit Stadium. While in the city they were given a tour of the famous Ford Motor Works.L – R: Willie Cook, Bobby Whitelaw, Hugh Smith, Joe McGhee, Willie Maley, Bertie Thomson, Johnny Thomson, Jimmy McGrory (with cup) Peter Scarff, Charlie Napier, Peter Wilson, Tom Maley, Denis Currie, Willie McGonagle. Photo The Celtic Wiki

It was very humbling to take the Scottish Cup with them to show it off to the Scottish and Irish emigres, but it would be a mistake to portray the tour as an easy, relaxing one. It was gruelling, on hard pitches, against over enthusiastic teams and with weak referees.

Scarff played well, scored many goals, but there was one bizarre occasion when the team must have been too liberal dishing out team shirts to supporters and admirers, and they turned up minus one jersey. Scarff was the unfortunate player for whom there was no jersey, but he played in a green dress shirt!

The death of John Thomson

5 September of that year saw the tragedy of John Thomson. Scarff was, like everyone else, shattered by this event, and found it all hard to take in. Here was the best goalkeeper in the world, a young man of about the same age as he was, shy, good natured, well-loved and popular and with so much life ahead of him – and now no longer with us.

John Thomson, Image by Celtic Curio

It was hardly surprising that Scarff was not feeling well for a while after that. Even when on one occasion playing in a benefit match for an Ayr United player he had to leave the field feeling a little breathless, it was all put down to the undeniable psychic trauma of it all with other players also suffering in all sorts of ways like sleeplessness and loss of appetite in the all-consuming melancholia which enveloped Parkhead at that dreadful time. Modern medical people would use words like “psychosomatic” to describe such illnesses.

Peter recovered from his breathless attack

He recovered from his breathless attack, and was soon back in the team, meeting again, for example, new goalkeeper Joe Kennaway whom he had last met when Celtic played against him on the American tour.

He appeared to be getting back to his old form, sometimes playing at left half to cover for the injured Chick Geatons, but he did seem to have a recurrent cough which was difficult to lose.

Peter Scarff CSC

A coughing fit, during which he coughed up blood

In December the team hit a rich seam of form, with McGrory clearly back to his best, but as they came off the Parkhead pitch on 19 December having defeated Leith Athletic 6-0, Peter had some sort of a coughing fit, during which he coughed up blood.

This is nearly always an ominous sign and tests were immediately arranged. In the same way as nowadays the word “cancer” is avoided if possible, no-one wanted to use the word “tuberculosis”, but it was certainly at the back of everyone’s mind, and on 12 January 1932, Peter was admitted to the Bridge of Weir Sanatorium suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.

Peter Scarff CSC

Pulmonary tuberculosis

Contrary to public belief, a cure was not impossible, and clearly a fit young man had more chance than most people. But realistically there was more hope of “remission” rather than cure, and periods of remission could last several years. He fought hard with the support of a young woman called Marjory Boyle to whom he was now engaged. Willie Maley, unlike many Managers who are not interested in players when they are injured or ill, also attended well.

Periodically throughout 1932, notices appeared in the Press with vaguely optimistic messages like “making progess” and “in good spirits” but the longer it went on, the less and less likely any sign of a return to the green and white appeared.

Marjory Boyle, clearly a brave young lady, quoted Peter as saying that the two important things in his life were wearing a Celtic jersey and “playing for her” (Marjory), and how he always asked about how the team were doing.

Celtic manager Willie Maley, Photo The Celtic Wiki

Mr Maley carrying in a large box the Scottish Cup

But on Sunday 16 April 1933 a very important visitor came to see Peter in the Sanatorium. This was Mr Maley carrying in a large box the Scottish Cup won the day before against Motherwell (again). Both men wept unashamedly. Peter now a very sick man had been able to listen to Campbell Bilney’s “eye witness account” of the final on the wireless at 6.30pm the previous night.

Peter died on Saturday 9 December 1933

On 29 July 1933, it was announced that Peter would never play football again, and sometime after that, he returned to his home at 33 Bridge of Weir Road, Linwood with the Sanatorium unable to do anything more for him. He lingered on until Saturday 9 December 1933. Celtic were playing and losing to Dundee at Dens Park that day, and news was given to them that evening that one of their best players had passed away.

His funeral was on the 12th at St Conval’s RC Church and then in the isolated and bleak Kilbarchan Cemetery, Peter Wilson, Peter McGonagle and trainer Jack Qusklay acting as pall bearers. Many clubs, including Rangers and Motherwell were represented. Maley, clearly distraught, laid a Celtic jersey over his coffin (a wish of Peter himself, apparently) before he was interred, and just as significantly, a poorly dressed old woman was seen to throw a bunch of flowers over the coffin as it left the Church.

The flower seller

This was the flower seller at Celtic Park from whom Peter had frequently bought flowers.

It was one of Celtic’s saddest days.

David Potter

From an unpublished series by the late David Potter written to support Matt Corr’s brilliant new books Celtic in the Thirties (Volumes One and Two) out now and available in hardback from Celtic Star Books and all Celtic FC Stores and on Amazon Kindle, full details below.

Article posted o 24 December 2024 by David Faulds, Editor on The Celtic Star.

Celtic in the Thirties

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW!

By popular demand, both volumes of Celtic in the Thirties are now available on Amazon Kindle, with the links to order below. Signed copies of both volumes are available on hardback from Celtic Star Books and if you would like author Matt Corr to add a special dedication to your copies please let us know. Order hardback copies HERE or for Amazon Kindle click on the links below…

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