We received an interesting enquiry from Gerson Maceri, “an Italian language teacher from Sanremo, a great lover of local history and an admirer of the work carried out in Bordighera by Mr Clarence. I am contacting you because I am conducting research on sports associations in Bordighera between 1911 and 1913 with a view to publishing a book. To my great surprise, I found a reference to Mr Bicknell (I imagine Clarence) in the organisational chart of a football club of the time, Bordighera F.B.C.. I was wondering, therefore, if you were aware of this and if there was any chance of finding photographic or documentary evidence of it in your archives. If so, I would be grateful if you could share it with me. The news I am referring to can be found in an article in a Bordighera newspaper from 1912. It states that the Bordighera FBC society, active since the previous year, is chaired by Mr Collingwood and that its honorary members include Rev. H.C. Muriel, Dr Hubbard, Dr Bogle, Dr Hamilton, Mr Grieveson, Mr Bicknell and Mr Barker-Nill. Are any of these names familiar to you?”
I replied to Mr Maceri “Thank you for writing. I have looked through our archives in the family and there is nothing on Clarence Bicknell and football. He is mentioned in connection with the Bordighera Tennis Club but he did not play tennis himself. See the biography MARVELS.” But the evidence of the newspaper article is palpable, In the way that Clarence threw himself into acting and singing, it is quite possible that he said yes to his friends and turned out to play football.
One name is familiar. Barker-Nill is probably a typo for Barker-Mill. Margaret Berry’s nephew Anthony Packe writes in the preface to the Villa Monte Verde scrapbook; Margaret and Edward “had no children, but an adopted daughter, Jane Barker-Mill, Margaret’s god-daughter”. A “Miss Barker” is listed in a printed show of support for one of Edward’s businesses, dated 30 November 1892. So is it possible that the footballer Barker-Mill is Jane’s father? If so, it is the first mention of his name that I have seen. Edward also mentions her in a codicil to his will as a possible trustee of the charitable foundation he left in Margaret’s name, but little is known of Jane’s origins or what happened to her.
Do you have an written or image references to Clarence and football? Please contact me at marcus@bicknell.com or Gerson at gerson.maceri@gmail.com