We first encounter Winnie captaining her side on 5 October 1917,  when 'Bolckow, Vaughan' beat West Hartlepool Central Marine in a match played at South Bank. She scored both goals in the 2-0 victory. Her other recorded exploits include captaining Teesside Munitionettes when they played Tyneside Munitionettes in Stockton on 2 February 1918.

 

On 20 July 1918, she captained a North of England side that beat West of Scotland at St. James' Park, Newcastle, 3-2. The England side also contained Bella Reay, Mary Lyons and Minnie Seed. What a team that must have been!

 

Another highlight was playing for England Ladies who beat Ireland Ladies 5-2 at St. James' Park on 21 September 1918.

 

Minnie played in the only two Munitionettes' Cup finals but, unfortunately, was on the losing side in both. In 1918, she played for her home team 'Bolckow, Vaughan' when they lost to Blyth Spartans 5-0 at Middlesbrough's Ayresome Park after a 0-0 draw at St. James' Park. In the 1919 final, on March 22, Winnie guested for Browns (West Hartlepool) in the final that was won 1-0 by Palmers (Jarrow and Hebburn).

 

Only Bella Reay and Mary Lyons were in teams that won both finals but for Winnie to be in such rarefied company locally and regionally reflects her obvious ability.

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Thanks to the East Cleveland Image Archive, we have the names of the 1918 'Bolckow, Vaughan' players in the impressive photograph above. The team is named as:

 

Back row: Emily Milner, Amelia Farrell, Greta Kirk, Violet Sharples
Front row: Elizabeth "Lizzie" Powell, Mary Mohan, Mercy Page, Winnie McKenna, Gladys Reece, Florence "Florrie" Short, Anne Wharton

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According to The North Eastern Daily Gazette (Thursday, 16 May 1918 - only two days before the final), a newspaper that was printed in Middlesbrough and distributed in the town and the surrounding areas around North Yorkshire, the team would be picked from the following thirteen players:

 

 

Emily Milner, Amelia Farrell, Greta Kirk, Violet Martin, Lizzie Powell, Mary Mohan, Mercy Page, Winnie McKenna, Gladys Reece, Annie Wharton, Milly Percival, E. Creer, and A. Adamas.

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If we contrast the two sets of names, we can see that Violet Martin is most likely the maiden name of Violet Shaples as the photo was captioned sometime after the match. However, the team image includes Florence Short and yet she's not included in the squad named only two days before the final. Likewise, who were  Milly Percival, E. Creer, and A. Adamas? All three were named in the squad of 13 and yet don't appear in the photograph.

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It may well have been aliases were used because women's football was seen, by the so-called moral purists, as "unfeminine" and some families were opposed to their daughters playing. There were even instances of the women not being allowed into their boyfriends' homes because their parents objected to women playing football. Some married women used their maiden names (and vice versa) while others used nom de plumes, especially if the match was being reported in the newspapers.

 

Sadly, small-minded bigotry was rife despite these heroic women sacrificing for the war effort. Joyce Henry said: "This picture shows my grandma Elizabeth (nee) Powell (front row, extreme left) kneeling. Her married name was Freeman.”

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Arthur (Arty) Hammond, whose mother Mercy Page sits third from the left (front row), explained: "She married my father Joseph Hammond, a marine throughout WWI."

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Writing in 2018, Arthur who lived in Fleet, Hampshire, said: "At 82, I am the youngest of five, we resided in Teesville. My eldest Brother John (Jack), OBE, and sister Rita (Murphy) passed away some years ago. Our sister, Mercy, resides in Calgary, Canada. My elder brother Joseph Peter Hammond, was chairman of Guisborough Sea Cadets for many years.

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"My uncle Nelson Page - my mother's brother - was skipper of Smiths Dock Launch on the River Tees. Her sister was called Phyllis (Hinds) and her other brother, Bill Page, lived in South Bank."

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Arthur, a former FA tutor, added: "The photograph has always been a link to the origins of myself and my eldest son’s deep interest of playing and coaching football at a reasonable high standard."

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Teesside-based historian Martin Peagam, who is secretary of the Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society, said: "I organised a centenary football match on the 100th anniversary of the Munitionette’s Cup Final of 18 May 1918 as part of Middlesbrough Local History Month.

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"Having learned about the events of 1918, female football students from Middlesbrough College and Gateshead College played each to honour their predecessors. The result was a resounding victory for the Teesside team."