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Who is this

Old Boy

Old Boy

master brummie
Hi Folk,

The attached photograph (sorry for its' condition) is of the football team of 2030 (Yardley) Squadron Air Training Corps in the 1943/44 season. The captain (holding the ball) was an excellent footballer but he went on to bigger things in a completely different field (not sporting).

He became very well known but can anyone name him?

Old Boy.
 
It looks like a young Donald Hewlett from "It aint half hot mom", but he's from Manchester.

Phil
 
Hi All,

So far no one is close. To be honest anyone born after about 1960 would probably not remember him.

He died much too early just as he was reaching the top.

Old Boy
 
Old Boy, I was 14yrs young in 1943 and born in Yardley, i know his face its driving me mad!, a singer keeps coming to my mind but the name eludes me, for pitys sake give us a clue!!. Len.
 
Hi All,

Alf, I thought I had made it clear that he was not a professional footballer. Lencops is very close. He was indeed a singer both pop and opera. Sadly he collapsed whilst singing the lead part in Madame Butterfly at the London Coliseum on 8 October 1972 and died in hospital the following day.

He lived in Alton Road, Bournebrook and his name was Geoffrey Paddison but he changed it when he became a professional singer.

Now - Does anyone remember his professional name?

Old Boy. `
 
Well done Ray there is plenty of choice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hughes

No you didn't Old boy but I forgive you because he may have gone on to football then I might have got a lead from there, I liked David Hughes in the 1950s and had a few of his records
 
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Well done Ray. It is, of course, my old friend David Hughes or, as I knew him, Geoff Paddison.

Thank you Alf for forgiving me. If anyone is interested I am the far right of those seated in the football team photograph. Where has all my hair gone.

Further photo of David Hughrs below.

Old Boy
 
Spotted him at my first glance Chris,there used to be a shop in Selly Oak,with a large photo.of him in the window.
 
Thanks old boy will take another look at the photograph. I did google it but thought it might be cheating. Actually I was ten minutes after Ray. Thanks for that any more?. Jean.
 
Old Boy, David Hughes!, the name i could not recall, a very good & popular singer, where is he buried can i ask? and did he ever live in a house on Yardley Rd?, there was another singer came from Hull same era, can`t remember his name either!, any body help?. Len.
 
brummie nick, Thanks for putting mind at rest David Whitfield was who i was thinking of, David H & David W had the same sort of strong voices. Len
 
Len,

David Hughes (Geoff Paddison) never lived in Yardley Road. His funeral, I believe, was held in London, where he then lived but I do not know if he was buried or cremated.

He attended Sparkhill Commercial School and then went to work for the railway as a clerk in the office until he joined the RAF.

Old Boy - Chris.
 
Hi
I remember when David Hughes came to open a new Tv/radio/ record shop in Selly Oak called Sam Carpenter and Sons about 1956/7, it was on the Bristol Road near the Oak pub, (where Sainsbury's is now ) the shop was mobbed but I managed to get his autograph

Pamela Y
 
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