| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frederick Titmuss | ||
| Date of birth | 15 February 1898 | ||
| Place of birth | Pirton, Hertfordshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 2 October 1966 (aged 68) | ||
| Place of death | Plymouth, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Pirton United | |||
| – | Hitchin Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1919–1926 | Southampton | 210 | (0) |
| 1926–1932 | Plymouth Argyle | 166 | (0) |
| – | St Austell | ||
| National team | |||
| 1922–1923 | England | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Frederick Titmuss (15 February 1898 in Pirton, Hertfordshire, England – 2 October 1966) was an English footballer who played at full-back for Southampton and Plymouth Argyle, and also made two appearances for England.
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As a youngster, Titmuss turned out for his local side, Pirton United in the Luton Alliance before joining Hitchin Town. During World War I he served with the Lancashire Fusiliers, where he played for the Army team, meeting Bert Lee who was instrumental in bringing Titmuss to The Dell.
He joined Southampton as soon as hostilities were over and made a handful of appearances in friendly matches before the resumption of league football. Although Titmuss considered himself to be a left-winger, he was soon converted into an outstanding left-back. He played his first competitive match on the opening day of the 1919-20 Southern League season and quickly formed a partnership with Tom Parker, who were described as "the best pair of backs in the South".[1] In 1920, Southampton joined the Football League, along with the other Southern League clubs. Titmuss missed only one match in the 1920–21 season, as Southampton finished second, missing out on the only promotion position.
On 13 March 1922 he was called up to play for England against Wales, making his debut in the same match as his Southampton colleague, Bill Rawlings. This was the first time that two players from Division Three had appeared in the same England side, and the only occasion on which two players from the same Third Division club had played together for England. He was to make one further England appearance, also against Wales on 5 March 1923.
Southampton were champions of Division Three (South) in 1922 conceding only 21 goals, with Titmuss an ever-present. According to Holley & Chalk’s "Alphabet of the Saints", "his speciality was the slide tackle although his perfect positional play often meant that such 'last ditch' defending was hardly ever needed."[2]
Titmuss continued to be a virtual ever-present throughout the next few seasons as Southampton consolidated their place in Division Two, although his career almost came to an abrupt end in February 1924 when he nearly lost the sight in one eye after being struck in the face by the lace of a football.
By February 1926, he had lost his regular place in the starting line-up to Mike Keeping and he was sold to Plymouth Argyle for £1750.
When Titmuss joined Plymouth, they were two-thirds of the way through a run of six consecutive finishes (between 1921–22 and 1926–27) in runners-up spot in the Third Division South, when only the champions were promoted. Each season they pushed hard for promotion but missed out narrowly. After finishing third and fourth in 1928 and 1929 respectively, Plymouth eventually secured the elusive championship in 1930 by a margin of seven points.
After six years of good service to the Devon club, Titmuss retired in 1932. He then settled in the Plymouth area to become a licensee, although he later assisted St Austell in neighbouring Cornwall.