This is an abridged version of the article.”Was the Worlds Most Famous Detective, Aston Villas First Celebrity Football Fan ?” As the original article was a bit long for people to include on their websites or ezines.
People who have read my other article “Do Aston Villa have the most celebrity fans?” will know Aston Villa have the most celebrity fans in the Premiership.But did Aston Villa have another even more famous fan. the very first fictional detective character. No not Hercule. Poiret, or Tin Tin, but Sherlock Holmes. His creator Sir Arthur. Conan. Doyle. was a fascinating man, who lived a long and eventful life.One of ten children born into poverty, and with an alcoholic father. he did not have the best of starts in life. He trained to be a doctor,was a novelist and lifelong traveller, all round sportsman, popularising ski-ing in Switzerland. And once bowling out W.G. Grace at cricket. he stood for Parliament twice, made a fortune and squandered most of it promoting spiritualism.
So how might he have been a Villa supporter. Here is the evidence.In 1879 Arthur.Conan. Doyle. was a poor medical student. And as part of his training he moved to Aston in Birmingham working as an assistant to Dr Reginald Ratcliffe. Hoare. at Clifton House on the Aston road in Birmingham. He was paid a salary of two pounds a month, and was responsible for making house calls and dispensing medicines. In fact he and Dr Hoare ,got on so well he returned to help out in the surgery many times, after finishing his training. And no doubt supporting his beloved Aston villa at the weekends. (Incidentally Villa first entered the F.A. cup in the 1879/80 season)
In 1879 Aston Villa were still an amateur side, playing at the Wellington road ground in Perry Barr. Birmingham. It is possible that Conan. Doyle, a keen sportsman, could have known Villas early founder members and fellow scotsmen, such as William Mc Gregor, Archie Hunter; and George Ramsay.and perhaps agreed to watch a game, or even play for Villa.
Some of my critics might suggest that it was Conan Doyle who lived in Aston not Sherlock Holmes. But Conan. Doyle; received many letters from members of the public asking him to solve criminal cases. Some addressed to him, but many simply addressed to Sherlock. Holmes at his Baker street address. And as most fiction writers base their characters on aspects of their own personality. I think it is highly probable that Sherlock Holmes was Aston Villas first celebrity football fan.
Below is the evidence you can make your own judgement.
1 Lived within a hansom cab ride from Villas ground at the time.
2 He was a keen sportsman excelling at football, rugby and cricket at school.
3 Aston Villa at that time had a strong Scottish contingent.
4 Sherlock holmes was a Villa fan would make a great chant, ringing around Villa Park.
5.And finally, I am sure at the final game of the season. I am certain I saw a man in a deerstalker hat. sitting in the seat in front of me, puffing away contentedly on his meerschaum pipe,engrossed in the game.Was he or wasnt he, I had to find out, so I tapped him on the shoulder, and nervously blurted out “are you Sherlock Holmes and are you a Villa fan.” But just then the final whistle blew, he jumped up and disappeared into the departing crowd. So I will never know. But I am one hundred percent convinced that Sherlock Holmes was indeed Aston Villas first celebrity football fan.