Edward Didymus

Edward Didymus
Personal information
Full name	Edward John Didymus
Date of birth	13 April 1886
Place of birth	Portsmouth, England
Date of death	12 April 1918 (aged 31)
Place of death	near Neuville-Vitasse, France
Position(s)	Inside right
Senior career*
Years	Team
1904–1907	Portsmouth
1907–1908	Northampton Town
1908–1909	Huddersfield Town
1909–1910	Blackpool
1910	Burslem Port Vale
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Edward John Didymus (13 April 1886 – 12 April 1918), sometimes known as Fred Didymus,^[4] was an English professional footballer who played as an inside right in the Football League for Blackpool.^[1] He also played for Portsmouth, Huddersfield Town, Northampton Town, and Port Vale.^[1]

Career

Didymus played for his home-town club Portsmouth (Western League),^[5] Southern League club Northampton Town and Huddersfield Town,^[6] before joining Blackpool in 1909.^[7] He played two Second Division matches for the "Seasiders" in the 1909–10 season.^[7] In November 1910, he joined North Staffordshire & District League club Port Vale and made his debut in a 2–2 draw at Congleton Town on 26 November 1910.^[2] He scored four goals in a 9–0 Hanley Cup win over Goldenhill Catholics on 2 December before departing the club at the end of the year.^[2]

Didymus was married with five children and after his retirement from football in 1912, he worked as a tram driver for Portsmouth Corporation Transport.^[5] Prior to this, he was recorded as working as a greengrocer's apprentice in 1901 and as a general labourer in 1911.^[8] In 1915, during the second-year of the First World War, he enlisted in the Army Service Corps.^[5] After being transferred to the Manchester Regiment, Didymus arrived on the Western Front in March 1918 and was then transferred to the Middlesex Regiment.^[5] On 12 April 1918, while serving near Neuville-Vitasse as a private, Didymus was shot and killed by a German sniper while attempting to rescue his lieutenant, who had been wounded shortly before.^[4]^[9] He was buried in Tilloy British Cemetery, Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines.^[3]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Blackpool	1909–10^[10]	Second Division	2	0	0	0	2	0
Burslem Port Vale	1910–11^[10]	North Staffordshire & District League	2	0	0	0	2	0
Career total			4	0	0	0	4	0

^ ^a ^b ^c Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 81. ISBN 978-1905891610.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 84. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0. ASIN 0952915200.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ ^a ^b Threlfall-Sykes, David. "New Name On Town's 'Roll Of Honour'". www.htafc.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Blues Backing Royal British Legion's #ThankYou100 Campaign". www.portsmouthfc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
^ "Didymus Edward Portsmouth 1905". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
^ ^a ^b Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992. Breedon Books Sport. p. 194. ISBN 978-1-873626-07-8.
^ "Edward Didymus". A Tale of One City. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
^ Cooksey, Jon; Murland, Jerry (2020). The Battles of Arras: South: Bullecourt, Monchy-le-Preux, Wancourt and the Valley of the Scarpe. Yorkshire: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-52674-239-1.
^ ^a ^b Edward Didymus at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)