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Ronald Paul

Ronald Paul[1]

Male 1920 - 2002  (82 years)  

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  • Name Ronald Paul  [2
    Registration Between 1 Apr 1920 and 30 Jun 1920  Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Birth 
    • Volume 11a, Page 1635
    Birth 18 Apr 1920  Gelli, Rhondda, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    • 106 Ystrad Road
    Gender Male 
    Registration May 2002  Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Death 
    • Register number 93C, District and Subdistrict 8622, Entry Number 17
    Name Roy Paul 
    Death 21 May 2002  Treorchy, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    • George Thomas Hospital
    Burial 27 May 2002  Treorchy, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    • Treorchy Cemetery
    Headstones Submit Headstone Photo Submit Headstone Photo 
    Person ID I44993  The Williams Family Tree
    Last Modified 11 Nov 2013 

    Father John Paul
              b. 21 Oct 1871, Penzance, Cornwall, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. Oct 1963, Gelli, Rhondda, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 91 years) 
    Mother Ann Yeoman Pate
              b. 17 Apr 1887, Gelli, Rhondda, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 2 Dec 1941, Gelli, Rhondda, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 54 years) 
    Marriage 9 Jul 1906  Hope Baptist Chapel, Gelli, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Registration Sep 1906  Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Marriage 
    • Volume 11a, Page 1110
    Family ID F13519  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Beryl E. Stuckey
              b. 20 Jul 1924, Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. Abt 2010 (Age 85 years) 
    Marriage 1942  Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Registration Sep 1942  Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    Marriage 
    • Volume 11a, Page 1292
    Children 
     1. Living
     2. Living
    Family ID F13525  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 1 Aug 2012 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsRegistration - Birth - Between 1 Apr 1920 and 30 Jun 1920 - Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 18 Apr 1920 - Gelli, Rhondda, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 1942 - Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsRegistration - Marriage - Sep 1942 - Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsRegistration - Death - May 2002 - Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 21 May 2002 - Treorchy, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - 27 May 2002 - Treorchy, Glamorganshire, Wales Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    Roy Paul
    Roy Paul
    Roy Paul's Autobiography
    Roy Paul's Autobiography
    Courtesy of Jamie Yeoman

  • Notes 
    • Roy Paul won the F.A. Cup in 1956 when he was Captain for Manchester City, beaten finalists were Birmingham City. He lost in the F.A. Cup Final in 1955 to Newcastle.

      A Great City Legend - Roy Paul 1920 - 2002 by Chris Wiseman

      According to his great friend and fellow Welsh international Roy Clarke, a recent vote taken to determine City's greatest team Captain had Roy Paul at the top. " Roy led by example ....he stood firm," Clarke said. "If anyone took advantage of us, he was there to look after us. He always looked after his team." And those of us - I suppose the over 55s now - who were privileged to watch him week after week will know exactly what those words mean. He was a great player, a wonderful, fun loving family man, and an inspiration to all who played for or watched City. In a week when City message boards have been full, because of signings and potential signings of foreign mercenaries, of fans saying how great it is to support City, my thoughts, and those of many others, have been much more directed to how Roy Paul influenced and led the club, and how he made us all, in the 1950s, proud to be associated with City. I can think of no greater inspiration to young fans, fans like I was then, to see this classy and fiercely loyal player come to the point of leading his City team out, in successive years, at Wembley, and to watch him before, during, and after the two Cup finals.

      Roy Paul was born and raised, one of twelve children in Ton-Pentre, in the Rhondda Valley. Destined for the pits, he was, in a way, rescued by the war and by his football and athletic talents. He was a P.T. instructer in the Royal Marines during the war, serving in Britain and India, and, when he could, playing some wartime matches for Swansea Town, where he went as professional in 1946. Fast developing into a fine half-back, he played 160 matches for Swansea, and, in 1949, won with them the Championship of the old Third Division ( South ). In an effort to better the ?12 maximum wage for footballers, Roy Paul and several other U.K. players, went to Bogota, in Clombia, to play for F.C. Millionaires, but soon returned, to be admonished by the F.A. On July 18th 1950, City bought him for the then considerable sum of ?19,500, and he played his first game for the sky blues at Maine Road in August 1950, helping City win promotion to the top division in his first season. He won 33 caps for Wales, playing in all three half-back positions. He remained with City, as Captain for the next seven years, leaving in 1957, after 293 League and Cup appearances, to be player-manager of Worcester City. For a time he had a sports shop in Manchester and returned to oversee the City Social Club, but the 1960s found him short of money and driving a lorry, and, his last years were plagued with ill-health, including the cruel ravages of Alzheimers. He leaves behind a widow and two children.

      As a player, Roy Paul was what today would be called a defensive midfielder. Strong on his leg, good in the air, powerful and often fearsome in the tackle, he was in the mould of Dave Mckay, Jimmy Scoular or Billy Bremner, though cleaner than any of them. His defensive bent is shown by the fact that he only scored 9 goals for City in 7 seasons. When he won the ball, as he almost always did, he would set up Roy Clarke on the left-wing, or lay it through to Ken Barnes, Don Revie, or Bobby Johnstone, who were the creative playmakers. He could run all day, and his head never dropped whatever the situation. By his example and vocal encouragement he willed his team on and was a superb organiser of defence. The great half-back line of Barnes, Ewing and Paul was wonderfully complementary - Barnes the loping, creative, silky-passing right half, Ewing the big clumsy, but strong and dominating centre, and Paul, tigerish in the tackle, tough, never intimidated and a great positional player on the left. He was strong, skilled and fearless - one of the best midfielders of his era. It was a joy to watch him.

      Roy Paul loved his ale, and, when City were touring abroad, instead of taking the team to various "places of interest", it's said that he quietly led them to the bars and clubs I hasten to add that he would do this only when friendlies were being played and would never himself drink during training for a competitive match. His language was as colourful and down to earth as you'd expect from a boy from the pits. He loved boxing next to football. Most of all he never allowed fame to go to his head.

      The Cup Finals of 1955 and 1956 tell us what kind of man and skipper Paul was. In 1955 against Newcastle, Jackie Milburn, the man Roy was supposed to be picking up, scored a rare headed goal from a corner after only 50 seconds. Then after 19 minutes, City's England right back Jimmy Meadows blew out his knee, when his studs caught in the infamous Wembley turf, and City had to play 70 minutes with 10 men.They equalised, but eventually, with Billy Spurdle, a forward, playing right back against the brilliant Scottish winger Bobby Mitchell, City started running out of Gas. Spurdle couldn't handle his man, and, though Trautmann too harshly blamed himself for them, both goals came from Mitchell's wing. When Paul led City up to receive the losers medals from the Queen, the story is that he told her City would be back to win it next year or he'll eat his hat. This is almost certainly apocryphal, but he certainly said that in the dressing room after the match, and was so angry at the loss that he kept trying to give away his medal. He was a passionate and inspirational leader.

      The next year City were going great guns and it seemed they had one a 5th round replay at Anfield by one goal. Then after 90 minutes, Billy Liddell fired passed Bert. The referee disallowed it, saying he'd blown for time just as Liddell shot, and, quick of mind, while the Liverpool players were gathered round the referee to protest, Paul urgently herded up all the City players and ran off the field with them, thus making it virtually impossible for the ref. to change his mind, even though it was later claimed that there was still some injury time left. In the semi-final against Spurs at Villa Park, Trautmann seemed to hold Robb's leg to prevent him scoring in a goalmouth melee. No penalty was given. Bert denied at the time but much later admitted it. Paul's comment was "If you hadn't done it, Trauty, I'd have kicked your bloody arse." In the tunnel, waiting to walk on at Wembley, Paul turned to his team, made a fist, and yelled " If we don't ******* win you'll get some of this." During the final, when Bert broke his neck, Paul debated putting someone else in goal, but decided, on Trautmann's pleading, to leave him in for the last 15 minutes. In that time, which seemed endless, he marshalled the team brilliantly to protect Trautmann, and Ewing, Paul, Leivers, Little, Barnes and the others did just that. Paul's actual words to them, backed up by his own tireless and courageous play, were: " If the ball comes anywhere near just ******* hoof it away." I was sitting fairly close to the Royal Box, and, as Roy held up the cup, I knew who he'd give the base to - sure enough, it was his old mate Nobby Clark, and the smile on his face, that May afternoon, was incredible. As were the tears on mine. Sheer undiluted joy. Down on the field, he was concerned for Trautmann, who was staggering around in agony, but he singled out his young son, brought him out, let him touch the cup, and presented the match ball to him. Then he was hoisted on to Don Revies back to parade round the stadium. A great City moment.

      Before the match, after the wives and kids were leaving the hotel training camp, Paul had cracked up the whole City team by asking the somewhat dour manager, Les Mcdowall, if there was "time for a leg over" before they went. Even Mcdowall broke up. After returning to a welcome of half a million people in Manchester, and a parade through the city, the team was invited to a huge Mayor's Banquet in the Town Hall, and, when it was his turn to say a few words, the tough, wisecracking, hard living Captain could only mumble a few words before tears got the better of him. But his lovely turn of phrase is shown by his description of seeing Trautmann the next day, before he knew Bert's neck was broken: "I was feeling lousy, I had a mouth like a badger's arse, but my heart sank when I saw Trauty. He looked like he had gone 15 rounds with Marciano and his eyes were like owl pellets". The tall tales he used to tell in the dressing room about his war service must, I think, have been really something. Clearly the team loved the man as well as respecting him greatly as a leader. He was a professional with a real and huge heart.

      And now he's gone. His City career spanned my teenage years, and, quite honestly, I feel that, this week, I've lost a big chunk of my youth. Although my heroes were Swift and then Trautmann; although Paul couldn't do the dazzling tricks of a Revie or Broadis or Johnstone; although he couldn't nearly break the net like Haddington, Hayes or McAdams; although he was pleased to let the others have the glory - Roy Paul held the team together. It was hard for the eye not to be drawn to him when watching, or not to smile at his shouts of encouragements, or to delight at his huge grin to a team mate, or a scowl at an opponent. A great athlete, a wonderful soccer player, and a great Captain for City, struck down by Alzheimers. It seems wrong and unfair. As was written on talkcity, only 5 men have captained Manchester City to a trophy since 1904. Roy Paul was the greatest of them, as player and human-being. I'm in my 60s now, but I have never forgotten him - he has left an indelible mark on my life and I shall treasure his memory, as will so many who watched that great side of the mid-50s. As I type this, I look at the 1956 team photo, framed on the wall just above my computer, with Roy Paul sitting behind the cup, holding the ball. without him, I doubt if City would have one it. They certainly would not have been as successful in those exciting years. He deserves the club's highest tributes and expressions of gratitude. He has mine.

      Chris Wiseman May, 2002.




      [2]

  • Sources 
    1. [S6180] Elaine Rogers Tagged, This is a list of people who were tagged as being part of Elaine Rogers tree. (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S3856] Colin Paul, (http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/a/u/Colin-Paul-midglam/index.html).

    3. [S1856] Registration of Births, (Ancestry.co.uk), Jun 1920, Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Volume 11a, Page 1635 (Reliability: 4).
      Ronald PAUL, Mother's maiden surname PATE

    4. [S1857] Registration of Deaths, (Ancestry.co.uk), May 2002, Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Register number 93C, District and Subdistrict 8622, Entry Number 17 (Reliability: 4).
      Ronald PAUL, Birth date 18 Apr 1920

    5. [S1854] Registration of Marriages, (Ancestry.co.uk), Sep 1906, Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Volume 11a, Page 1110 (Reliability: 4).
      John PAUL + Ann Yeoman PATE

    6. [S1854] Registration of Marriages, (Ancestry.co.uk), Sep 1942, Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Volume 11a, Page 1292 (Reliability: 4).
      Ronald PAUL + Beryl E. STUCKEY