Links With The Past: Topical Times From 1932 & 1936

Leicester City’s extensive archive contains official Club documents, minutes books, financial reports, contracts, newspapers, football magazines, scrapbooks, programmes, letters, telegrams, an oral archive, a large pre-digital  photographic collection and much else besides.

The photographs illustrated here were issued in the 1930s by a publication called Topical Times. Initially published in October 1919, Topical Times was the first weekly newspaper which concentrated predominantly on football.

After its 1,071st edition, it ceased publication in May 1940. It was famous for producing full length portraits of football stars, each wearing their full club kit. These are high quality photographs. Most are in black and white but some are in full colour. Printed on glossy card, these portrait pictures measured 25cm by 9.5cm.

Five years ago, the Club obtained nearly 200 of these photographs, all dating from the 1930s. Within this collection are portraits of two Newcastle United players.

In 1936, centre-half Jesse Carver, pictured here as one of a trio of players, joined Newcastle, then in the Second Division, from Blackburn Rovers. His career was cut short by the Second World War, when he joined the police force. After the war, he gained an international reputation as an innovative coach.

In Italy, he managed Juventus, Lazio (three times), Torino, Roma and Inter Milan. He also managed West Bromwich Albion, Coventry City and APOEL FC in Cyprus. In addition, he oversaw the Netherlands national side and turned down the England manager’s job in 1956.

Sam Weaver, pictured on the right, was a left-half back (a midfielder in today’s parlance) who made 204 league appearances for the Magpies between 1929 and 1936. He won three England caps in 1932 and 1933.

The presence of a shirt crest in the picture indicates that Weaver is in the kit he wore for the 1932 FA Cup final, when his side defeated Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. Noted for his aggression and for his 35 yard-long thrown-ins, he transferred to Chelsea in 1936.

His career was put on hold throughout the Second World War, when he joined the police before enlisting in the army in 1943.

After the war, his lengthy coaching career included a two-year spell as Mansfield Town’s manager. An all round sportsman, Weaver also played first class cricket for Somerset.