Oscar Linkson
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Oscar Linkson (b. 16 March, 1888 in New Barnet - d. 8 August, 1916 in France) was an English football player.
| Oscar Linkson | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Oscar Horace Stanley Linkson | |
| Date of birth | March 16, 1888 | |
| Place of birth | New Barnet, Hertfordshire, England | |
| Date of death | 8 August 1916 (aged 28) | |
| Place of death | Guillemont, France | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| -1907 1908-1913 1913-1914 |
Barnet F.C. Manchester United Shelbourne |
55 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Contents |
[edit] Early life
Oscar Horace Stanley Linkson was born at New Barnet, England. His father was Robert Linkson, a house painter. His mother Rebecca Bartram ran a business selling wardrobes made by her father and brothers. Linkson was the youngest of five boys in a family that also included four sisters. His three eldest brothers, William, Robert and Alfred, and his sister Margaret all died in infancy before Oscar was born. His one remaining brother, Sidney died in 1901 as a result of a disease caught during active service in the Second Boer War.
[edit] Club career
Linkson started his career with Barnet Alston (later Barnet F.C.) in 1907. He was spotted playing for an amateur team, Pirates FC, on a continental tour by scouts from Manchester United who were also touring in the same area. He signed on as a full team player for Manchester United in 1908. He made his first team debut on 24 October 1908 in a match against Nottingham Forest. In total Linkson played in 55 league games and 4 FA Cup games. He would help the club win the 1909 FA Cup and 1911 league championship. In 1913 he transferred to Shelbourne in Dublin.
[edit] Army career
At the outbreak of World War I he returned to England where he enrolled with the 1st Football Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment who were formed under the Pals battalion scheme and made up entirely of sportsmen. He was fighting alongside Walter Tull, Evelyn Lintott and Vivian Woodward.
On 8th August 1916 Private Linkson went missing in the battle to seize Guillemont Station during the Somme Offensive. His body was never recovered and he was recorded as missing presumed dead.[1]
[edit] Family
In 1912 Oscar married his sixteen-year-old sweetheart Olive Fenton. Olive was the granddaughter of Kate Hodson an actress in the Victorian era and the great niece of Henrietta Hodson, an actress and theatre manager. They had two children Eric (1913-1971) and Olive (1914-1990).
[edit] References
- Murphy, Alex The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United (2006, Orion Books) ISBN 0-75287-603-1
