MARY LYONS
Mary Lyons
Who was the youngest-ever player to score for England?
The history books will tell us that it was Wayne Rooney (then at Everton FC) when, aged 17 years and 317 days, he scored in England's 2-1 victory over FYR Macedonia on 6 September 2003.
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The history books also tell us that the youngest-ever England international was Theo Walcott (then at Arsenal), when he appeared in England's 3-1 friendly win over Hungary at Old Trafford, Manchester, aged 17 years and 75 days, on 30 May 2006.
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These "facts" are wrong!
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Both honours can be claimed by 15-year-old, Jarrow lass Mary Lyons (1902-79) when she made her England debut in front of 20,000 people at St. James' Park, Newcastle, in 1918 and netted at the end of the first half, resulting in a 3-2 win against Scotland.
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Mary was born to Irish-born parents on 2 October 1902* at 120 Queens Road, Jarrow, then in County Durham. Mary's father, Patrick, and six brothers were employed at Palmer's shipyard. The youngest of eight children, Mary also had a sister.
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After leaving school at 14 in 1916, Mary joined Palmers Munitions Factory, where bait-time kick-abouts led to her being asked to play for Palmers Girls.
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Mary's skills quickly gained the attention of newspaper sports columns. In 1918, aged only 15, she was poached by the mighty Blyth Spartans Ladies - the best team in the region at the time - for The Munitionettes' Cup against Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd. at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough.
Mary led Blyth Spartans Ladies to victory, scoring in their 5-0 victory, and winning the "Woman of the Match" accolade.
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In addition, Mary took the Palmers team from a scratch side to the best in the region, bringing The Munitionettes' Cup to Jarrow a year later in 1919.
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She was only 17 years old.
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*Confirmed by Friends Of Jarrow Cemetery.
The Palmers team with Mary Lyons, probably aged 17, centre with the ball at her feet, pictured with her Palmers teammates. The matronly figure, wearing white, is Mrs Ornsby, the Female Factory Superintendent.
The following was sent by Bill Greenwell, editor of the South Shields local history group newsletter.
In the 1921 census, Mary Lyons, aged 19, was still living in the family home in Ferry Street, Jarrow, and was working “for a window cleaner”.
At some point, she moved to Hackney in East London with Elizabeth Gibson Flannery, a neighbour from Ferry Street. Elizabeth was ten years younger than Mary.
According to my research, Mary was a resident of Hackney in the 1930s. She worked at the Eastern Fever Hospital at Homerton, Hackney, where she and Elizabeth were wardmaids. These workers were responsible for maintaining a clean and hygienic environment in a hospital ward. It is a tough, physical job today. Imagine how labour-intensive it was 100 years ago.
Sadly, Mary surfaces in a tragic news story (widely syndicated), appearing on April 26, 1932. We know it appeared in at least five newspapers, including The Daily News (London), The Gloucester Citizen and The South Wales Daily Post, as detailed in the British Newspaper Archive.
The article reports the death of Elizabeth from septic patellar bursitis, “housemaid’s knee”, which involves the inflammation of a fluid-filled sac (bursa) located in front of the kneecap. It is a condition associated with repetitive kneeling or direct trauma to the knee. Historically, it is associated with housemaids scrubbing floors, which ties in with Elizabeth’s employment as a wardmaid. She would have only been 20 years old.
In her later days, Mary was a resident at Primrose Hill Hospital (a nursing home), where she died on July 29, 1979. She never married or had children.
In her will, dated September 26, 1979, Mary left £1,052 gross, £862 net. All of it was left to Primrose Hill Hospital for the matron to “use for the benefit of the hospital and the patients”.
The will states how Mary (the Testator), while being able to read, was unable to write because of “gross ataxia [loss of muscle co-ordination] due to cerebellar disease”. The condition meant the part of the brain responsible for coordinating movement, balance, and posture ceased to function.
Mary was aged 77 when she passed.
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