New book chronicles footballing feats of 'forgotten' Shrewsbury legend and his brother
Two forgotten footballing brothers from Wolverhampton whose exploits would have earned them millions of pounds and global stardom in today's game are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Jack and Arthur Rowley were free scoring siblings whose names are in the record books above legends of the game like Jimmy Greaves, Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The pair terrorised defences in the 1940s and 1950s, netting nearly 700 goals between them with Arthur scoring for Shrewsbury Town and Leicester City, bagging 434 league goals, and Jack winning trophies for Manchester United where he remains the fourth highest goalscorer in the club's history.
A new book, The Forgotten Brothers, charts the pair's upbringing in pre-war Wolverhampton, their Second World War exploits, their playing careers and forays into management.
Author Ian Davidson died a month after completing the book but the Rowley family and Leicester City FC fan Steve Jacques ensured it was published by Blue Army Publishing.
Steve Jacques, from Blue Army Publishing, was determined for the book to published as Arthur is the Foxes second highest goal scorer. He met Rowley family member David at Molineux to launch the book.
He said: "When historians talk about the great footballing brothers, Jack and Arthur are rarely mentioned.
"For almost three decades, brothers Jack and Arthur Rowley terrorised the defences of Football League teams, plundering almost 700 goals between them in all competitions."
He added: "Now, for the very first time, their stories are told in this fascinating book that celebrates and pays tribute to their extraordinary gift for scoring goals."
David, who is the brothers nephew, gave the book his full backing saying "their story should be told".
Though beloved and remembered where they played, the brothers careers were before mass media, Match of the Day and their successors in the game became household names despite not reaching the goalscoring heights of the pair.
Older brother Jack would have scored even more goals if the Second World War had not interrupted his fledgling career, however, like many young men his age the conflict gave him incredible adventure story.
He took part in the Normandy landings in 1944 and then was chosen to play for an "Armed Forces 11" in a celebration tour of Italy and Greece. Though he missed most games with dysentery he forged one of the most important relationships of his life - with player manager Matt Busby who took him to Manchester United winning the FA Cup in 1948.
The brothers sporting excellence was forged in the Black Country. Their father Mark played in goal for Walsall. Growing up in Wolverhampton, Jack (born in 1920) first laced his boots up for Dudley Old Boys before signing professional forms with Wolverhampton Wanderers as a fifteen year old in November 1935.
As a novice, Jack performed for Cradley Heath on loan between September and November 1936 before signing for Manchester United in 1937 when the chairman spotted him playing on the South Coast, the war would deny Jack of six years of scoring league goals and he joined up in 1939. though he did still play whilst with South Staffordshire regiment playing for whichever team was closest to his barracks.
He won the League War Cup with Wolves in 1942 and had regular outings with Tottenham Hotspur in 1943-44, firing them to the Football League South title.
After the war ended both brothers went on a prolific run of scoring goals throughout the 1950s, Arthur's career had taken off after signing for West Bromwich Albion in 1947.
there was rarely a weekend when one of them would not score a goal in English league football. They even reached 200 league goals on the same afternoon on October 22, 1955. Arthur scored for Leicester against Fulham and Jack for Plymouth versus Barnsley.
Both managed clubs in their 30s, Arthur for Shrewsbury Town and Jack for Plymouth. They would take the helm at various other clubs over the years including Sheffield United, Southend United, Wrexham and Oldham Athletic. Jack even managed Dutch giants Ajax for the season. Both men continued to manage into the 1970s.
Jack eventually ran a newsagent in Greater Manchester until he died in 1998, and Arthur settled in Shrewsbury, frequently visiting Gay Meadow before his death in December 2002. He has since been named Shrewsbury Town's Player of the Century.
