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Players Index Page Last Updated
12 August 2025
 
 

George Hilsdon

Chelsea FC

 8 appearances, 14 goals
2 penalties

P 8 W 7 D 1 L 0 F 33: A 4
 94% successful
 1907-09

captain: none
minutes played: 720

Timeline
  Lance Corporal George Hilsdon
Birth Monday, 10 August 1885 in Donald Street, Bromley-by-Bow, Middlesex
  registered in Poplar July-September 1885 Bromley was part of the Middlesex County Registration until 1889
Education Attended Marner Street School and Plashet Lane School from 1897.
 

According to the 1891 census, George is the sixth of seven children to James Irving and Mary Ann (née Cocklin). They live in 19 Lingen Street in Bromley. His father is a general labourer.
 

According to the 1901 census, George is now an office boy, and he remains at home with his parents with five of his siblings. They now live at 11 Abbotts Road in East Ham. His father is now a scaffolder.
Marriage to Katherine Ethel Kelly, in West Ham, late 1906, they lived on the Fulham Palace Road.
  registered in West Ham October-December 1906
Children George and Katherine Hilsdon have two children together. George (b.25 April 1907) and Kathleen Edna (b.October 1909).
 

According to the 1911 census, the twenty five year old George is a professional footballer married to Katherine. They have two children, George and Katherine. They also have one servant and they live at 34 Lansdown Road in Forest Gate.
His father died in 1913.
His mother died in early 1920.
According to the 1921 census, George, a billiard marker at the White Hart Hotel, is still married, and with their two children, they live at 21 Westbury Road in West Ham.
"George Hilsdon, said to be an international footballer, of Westbury Road, Forest Gate, was fined £10 at West Ham for frequenting Ferndale Road, Forest Gate, for the purposes of betting." - The Essex Chronicle, Friday, 22 September 1922
  His wife, Katherine, died in early 1933
According to the 1939 register, George, an incapacitated builders labourer, lives on his own at 21 Westbury Road.
Death Wednesday, 10 September 1941 in a Leicestershire hospital
aged 56 years 31 days registered in Market Bosworth July-September 1941
Obituary
 
Funeral September 1941 at Wigston Cemetery, Leicestershire
Only his son, George, his daughter, Katherine and her husband, Christopher McNeil, and their child, Terence, attended his funeral that was paid for by the Football Association.
Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Playing Career

Club(s)		 Hilsdon captained his school side and then played centre-half for East Ham Boys FC and played for South-West Ham FC. He was spotted playing for Boleyn Castle FC by Syd King and subsequently joined West Ham United FC in November 1904. After suffering injuries achieving just sixteen Southern League appearances and seven goals, Chelsea signed Hilsdon in June 1906 on a free transfer. He returned to West Ham United FC on 7 June 1912, again on a free transfer, to make another 69 Southern League appearances and to score another 24 goals. Guested for Heart of Midlothian FC during the war, as well as representing The Army. Assisted Chatham Town FC in 1919, but his damaged lungs would not allow him to surpass six matches, despite scoring fourteen goals. He retired soon after.
League honours
150 appearances, 99 goals		 Chelsea FC 1906-12 150 appearances, 99 goals
debut (division two): 1 September 1906 Chelsea FC 9 Glossop FC 2.
last (division two): 8 April 1912 Derby County FC 2 Chelsea FC 0.
Club honours Football League Division Two runners-up 1906-07 (32ᵃ 28ᵍ), 1911-12 (10ᵃ 1ᵍ), third place 1910-11 (26ᵃ 18ᵍ);
FA Cup semi-finalist 1910-11 (5ᵃ 1ᵍ)
Individual honours Football League (two appearances)
Distinctions His son, George was a television actor, playing Hazell's father in BBC's Hazell, amongst other roles.
Height/Weight 5' 8½", 12st. 2lbs [1911].
Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

England Career
Player number One of five who became 321st players (325) to appear for England
Position(s) Centre-forward
First match No. 89, 16 February 1907, England 1 Ireland 0, a British Championship match at Goodison Park, Walton, Liverpool, aged 21 years 190 days.
Last match No. 99, 13 February 1909, England 4 Ireland 0, a British Championship match at Horton Park Avenue, Horton Park, Bradford, aged 23 years 187 days.
Major tournaments British Championship 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09;
Team honours British Championship shared 1907-08, winners 1908-09;
Individual honours England's Top Goascorer (twelve, 1909) a new record
Distinctions Died sixteen days after Jimmy Ward

Beyond England
Hilsdon was part of the East Surrey Regiment and during WW1, he was badly gassed at Arras in June 1917. He had theatrical connections and in 1924 he joined Fred Karno's Troup, a popular vaudeville act. One method of publicising the company was to arrange a charity football match between the cast of the show and some local organization. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.129/30.


The Numbers
parties Apps comp. apps minutes goals ave.min comp. goals captain
9 8 5 720 14 51 min 6 none
The minutes here given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only an approximation.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
8 7 1 0 33 4 +29 0 4 4.125 0.5 93.8 +7

Venue Record
Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 0 2 2.50 0.00 100.0 +2
Away 6 5 1 0 28 4 +24 0 2 4.667 0.667 91.7 +5

Competition Record
  
Competition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
British Championship 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.20 0.60 90.0 +4
Friendly 3 3 0 0 17 1 +16 0 2 5.667 0.333 100.0 +3

Opposition Record
  
Opposition P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Ireland                          
Wales                          
Scotland                          
Hungary                          
Austria                          
Bohemia                          
 
Tournament Record
 
British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1906-07 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 0 1 1.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC 1907-08 3 2 1 0 11 3 +8 0 0 2.667 1.00 83.3 +2
BC 1908-09 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC All 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.20 0.60 90.0 +4

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.20 0.60 90.0 +4
5 4 1 0 16 3 +13 0 2 3.2 0.6 90 +4

Match History
 Club: Chelsea F.C. - eight full appearances (720 min) 14ᵍ F.A. International Select Committee - eight full appearances (720 min) 14ᵍx

Age 25
1 89 16 February 1907 - England 1 Ireland 0
Goodison Park, Liverpool		 BC HW   ir
 

Age 26
2 92 15 February 1908 - Ireland 1 England 3
Solitude Ground, Belfast		 BC AW  7
83		 ir
3 93 16 March 1908 - Wales 1 England 7
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff		 BC AW  40
63		 ir
4 94 4 April 1908 - Scotland 1 England 1
Hampden Park, Glasgow		 BC AD   ir
5 95 6 June 1908 - Austria 1 England 6
Cricketer Platz, Wien
tour		 AW  57
70		 ir
96 8 June 1908 - Austria 1 England 11, Hohe Warte Stadion, Wien AW reserve
6 97 10 June 1908 - Hungary 0 England 7
Millenáris Sportpálya, Buda-Pesth		 AW 2848
7188		 ir
7 98 13 June 1908 - Bohemia 0 England 4
Stadión Letná, Praha		 AW  24
50		 ir

Age 27
8 99 13 February 1909 - England 4 Ireland 0
Horton Park Avenue, Bradford		 BC HW  50
87		 ir
 

 
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