Charles Hurst (1919 - 1999)

Born 25 Jan 1919 in Denton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 23 Jan 1999 at age 79 in Chelmsford, Essex, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Wikidata: Item Q5085058, en:Wikipedia - Footballer, father of World Cup hero Geoff

Charles was born in 1919. He was the son of James Hurst and Fanny Burt.^[1]

He was a professional footballer who played at centre half, but only ever made 4 first team Football League appearances, all for Rochdale. His career was interrupted by the war, he reportedly served in the British Army and was evacuated from Dunkirk.

While a player at Bristol Rovers, he married Evelyn Hopkins (from a Gloucester family with her mother's side from Germany) at Stroud, Gloucestershire in 1940.^[2] They had a son:

• Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE b. Dec 1941 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Cheshire (still living in 2023), professional footballer (West Ham United), m. 1964 Judith H Harries, 3 daughters
• Diane Hurst 1944- m. 1965 Peter Slatchers (probably)
• Robert Brian Hurst 1946-1974 m. 1970 Julie Cumbers (probably)

Around 1948 the family moved to Chelmsford, Essex, as Charlie left Rochdale for non-league Chelmsford City. In 1950 he became player-manager of non-league Sudbury Town. After his career ended he worked as a toolmaker in Essex.

His eldest son Geoff followed in his footsteps as a footballer, somewhat more successfully, winning the World Cup as an England international player in 1966, having already won an FA Cup and a Cup-Winners Cup with West Ham.

His younger son tragically ended his own life at Chelmsford railway station in 1974.

He passed away in 1999 in Chelmsford.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008,"
2. ↑ [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV8K-5TX4 "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,"] While this record does line up with his football career and biographical information on his wife, it undermines the claim he was evacuated at Dunkirk. The marriage was in Q1 1940, the evacuation started in May 1940 and presumably any soldiers evacuated would have been campaigning with the British Expeditionary Force in the months prior. Perhaps Geoff Hurst's autobiography has more information?
3. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZX-L8RJ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007"

• Familysearch: Charlie Hurst (The younger two children's marriages are based on records found on Familysearch with the right names, in Chelmsford, when they were old enough to marry. But it's possible there were other Hursts in Chelmsford with similar names of similar ages. There is no biographical information to confirm or repudiate.)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Hurst - son's Wikipedia page