Bob Suart
Robert Suart (1882 – 27 September 1918) was an English professional football wing half who played in the Football League for Stockport County and Fulham. He was killed in action during the First World War.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Suart[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1882 | ||
| Place of birth | Stockport, England[2] | ||
| Date of death | 27 September 1918 (aged 36)[3] | ||
| Place of death | near Gouzeaucourt, France[3] | ||
| Playing position(s) | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Edgeley | |||
| 1903–1908 | Stockport County | 142 | (13) |
| 1908–1911 | Fulham | 97 | (1) |
| 1911–1915 | Port Vale | 130 | (4) |
| 1915–1917 | → Stockport County (guest) | 22 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Football career
Suart played in the Football League for Stockport County and Fulham,[1][4] before joining Central League club Port Vale in July 1911.[2] He helped the "Valeites" to win the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1912, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1913 and the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1915.[2] Vale went into abeyance in 1915 and Suart returned to Stockport County as a guest.[2]
World War I
During the second year of the First World War in 1915, Suart enlisted as a private in the South Lancashire Regiment.[5] He transferred to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment later that year and went on to see action at High Wood, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Arras and the Third Battle of Ypres during 1916 and 1917.[5] His division was transferred to the Italian Front following the Third Battle of Ypres, but returned to France in April 1918.[5] Suart was killed during a German counter-attack near Gouzeaucourt on 27 September 1918, just over six weeks before the Armistice.[5] He is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial.[3]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Stockport County | 1903–04[4] | Second Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 1904–05[4] | Lancashire Combination First Division | 33 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 38 | 4 | |
| 1905–06[4] | Second Division | 38 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 1906–07[4] | Second Division | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| 1907–08[4] | Second Division | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
| Total | 142 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 152 | 13 | ||
| Fulham | 1907–08[5] | Second Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 1908–09[5] | Second Division | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1909–10[5] | Second Division | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1910–11[5] | Second Division | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| Total | 97 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 102 | 1 | ||
| Port Vale | 1911–12[6] | Central League | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 1912–13[6] | Central League | 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 2 | |
| 1913–14[6] | Central League | 32 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 40 | 3 | |
| 1914–15[6] | Central League | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| Total | 130 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 145 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 369 | 18 | 30 | 1 | 399 | 19 | ||
Honours
- Port Vale
- Staffordshire Senior Cup: 1912[2]
- Birmingham Senior Cup: 1913[2]
- North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup: 1915[2]
References
- Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 279. ISBN 190589161X.
- Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 283. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- Watts, Ian. "Bob Suart County Record". gogogocounty.org. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- "Bob Suart – Football and the First World War". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- Bob Suart at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)