Genealogy Chat

Does anyone have Newspaper access and could search for a death notice for a

Alan Smith b 1939 died 27th August 2016 in Torquay, played for Torquay United Football Team 1957-1969.

Thank you

I don't see a death notice so far.

There are these:

https://tinyurl.com/49y8cpyj

https://www.torquayfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8979

and other sites detailing his life story - including Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smith_(footballer,_born_1939)

But I know that's not what you're looking for.

Try contacting the local libraries, which might be able to help:

https://www.torbaylibraries.org.uk/web/arena/localstudies

[email protected]

Google him. I put in Alan Smith + Torquay and got a Wikipedia page on him and a transcript of the newspaper obituary.
There are a lot of entries for him.

Nameslessone andArgllGran

Thank for your reply i did see the Wiki Page but didnt notice the full link, i have at least got some more details. Was hoping to find mention of family members as he was uncle of my friend.

Probably his birth cert

Births Sep 1939
Smith Alan Evans Wirral 8a 820


As he is an uncle of a friend then surely they kniw how the connection is ?

But further info on him says born 1929!,


Alan Smith was born in Darlington on March 19, 1929 and educated first at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, where he played cricket and took part in cross-country running. He also played the clarinet in the school band.

Smith was a member of the school’s Army Cadet Force, which was good preparation for two years’ National Service in the Durham Light Infantry. He played football and boxed for the regiment.Mike Goodrich – Torquay's title-winning captain in 1976Mike Goodrich – Torquay's title-winning captain in 1976

By the time Smith left the Army he had reached the rank of second lieutenant. While based in Chester he met Beryl. The couple were married in 1952 in Chester Cathedral, where the new Mrs Smith had been a Sunday school teacher.

Smith studied for a year at Kings College, Durham University before joining the Civil Service. For 18 years he was a customs officer on the dockside at Liverpool.

The family, which expanded rapidly with the arrival of four sons and a daughter, lived on the Wirral where Smith played for West Kirby from the mid-1950s to 1971.

Promotion to a role in the newly created VAT unit brought the Smith family to Torbay. It was another promotion took Alan back to High Legh near Manchester, but by 1982 an opportunity to return to Devon arose and the Smith’s moved to Paignton.

Gordon Ripley, the former Paignton CC secretary, umpire and lay preacher, was a colleague of Smith’s before he retired.

Sons Mike (Torquay) and Steve (Torquay, Paignton, South Devon) inherited the cricket gene from their father as did grandsons Chris and Mark, both of whom played for Paignton.

Alan Smith suffered a stroke in November 2020. He died on January 30 in a care home in Dartmouth. His wife of more than 60 years pre-deceased him. The couple had eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.


Marriages Sep 1952
Harris Beryl M Smith Chester 10a 403
Smith Alan Harris Chester 10a 403


So is this two different men ?

Yes, that's two different men.

The one Maureen's interested in was a footballer who died in 2016.

The other one was a cricketer who died in 2021.

Wikipedia says the one Maureen's interested in was born 8th June 1939 in Birkenhead, so this is probably his birth:


Births Jun 1939 (>99%)
Smith Alan Abrams Birkenhead 8a 774

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smith_(footballer,_born_1939)

Try contacting the local newspaper - google for website. Most have archive sections

Doesn't the friend know the names of their cousins?

It would have to be a pretty comprehensive obit to include names of nephews/nieces.

Never occurred to me that she was looking for family mourners rather than the children of Alan. Don’t think that has happened for many many years.

It would be easier if the OP said what she actually wants to know ;-) ;-)

A quick look at freebmd suggests that ALAN had just one brother


Parents......................
Name: Elizabeth M Abrams
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep 1938
Registration District: Wirral
Inferred County: Cheshire
Spouse: George Smith
Volume Number: 8a
Page Number: 1495

The brother being the parent of Maureen’s friend.

Just seen the other answers to my post. Alan Smith was actually born James Alan Smith in Birkenhead in 1939 mother Stables, his brother Jack (John Thomas)b 1927 also a footballer played for Liverpool 1951-1953 then also played for Torquay before moving away from the area. Alan remained in Torquay and lost contact trying to locate if he married and family.

For our reference, now that we have his full name:

Mr James Alan Smith
in the England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2021
Name Mr James Alan Smith
Gender Male
Age 77
Birth Date 6 Aug 1939
Last Residence Torquay, Devon, England
Postal Code District Tq1
Death Date 27 Aug 2016

James A Smith, or Alan Smith, is such a common name that it's impossible to tell if he married without buying several marriage certs to check.

1957-93, there were seven marriages of men named James A Smith in Devon - but of course he could have married anywhere (if at all), probably depending on where the bride came from.

Just a suggestion - but it's such a common name:

Mr James A Smith
in the UK, Electoral Registers, 2003-2010
Name Mr James A Smith
Birth Date 1939-1941
Residence Date 2003-2004
Address 26, Denys Road, TQ1 1JL
Residence Place Torquay, Devon, England

A Mrs Patricia Smith, born approx 1946, is at the same address.

James A is listed at that address in 2016 (according to ER here on GR) - which would fit, but this man may just have opted out of the public ER.

Patricia is listed there until 2018.

The house was last sold in November 2018.

They MIGHT be the couple who married in Torbay in 1973.

You'd have to buy a copy of the cert to find out if it's the right James A or not.

And/or his death cert, to see who the informant was.