Frank Palmer - A Tribute - CORINTHIAN-CASUALS FOOTBALL CLUB

Frank Palmer - A Tribute

15/3/2021

Frank Palmer has sadly passed away aged 91.

Born on 10 Sept 1929 he played for Corinthian-Casuals in the 1950s, a total of 92 First team matches, scoring 37 goals. His best season was 1956/7 when he played 31 games with 15 goals. That season he was also in the C-C team that lost to Wycombe Wanderers in the Amateur Cup Semi Final at Highbury. He went on tours to Libya (pic below - Frank Palmer, front row 3rd from right, brother David is directly behind him), Belgium and Jersey and played in the Reserves throughout 1959/9. His older brother David also played for the club but died some years earlier. Frank was the manager for a cork manufacturing company for most of his working life.

His daughter Carol wrote: “He was the youngest of seven brothers. He met our mother Rene when he was age 10 at school. They were inseparable until her death at the age of 76. He did National Service in the RAF but avoided the Berlin Airlift because he was picked at centre forward for the RAF team.

“My cousin Leonard remembers dad and his brother David taking the field at the Oval side by side, except that dad was playing for Ilford and David was playing for C-C. They were pitted against each other but managed to play the whole match without tackling each other. It was after this match that dad was invited to join Corinthian-Casuals.

“Leonard also tells me that during the Libya tour dad kicked the ball so hard that it broke the bar. He brought a couple of small pieces back with him to prove it.

“After football he played tennis for several clubs and won various championships, including singles, men’s doubles and mixed pairs with our Mum. When he gave up tennis he took up bowls and again won several club championships. A highlight was when he won the National over 55’s Men’s doubles with his partner Keith Broughton.

“Dad had 5 grandchildren and was very proud of them all, but especially my son Tom and Ian’s son Max who both followed in his footsteps and play football. Ian’s second son Zac plays rugby.

“Dad was lucky enough to enjoy good health in his 90’s and was fiercely independent to the end”

1 Comment

Michael Waggett

9/8/2021 14:30:54

I worked alongside Frank as a young manager when I was posted in from the parent group to “learn the ropes” at the cork manufacturing company mentioned by Frank’s daughter Carol. Frank and I shared an office at one stage and, as a lifelong sports enthusiast, It was a pleasure to be guided by an ex Corinthian Casuals star who was also a fine industrial manager - one to whom his team looked up and admired. I remember Frank’s unassuming and always pleasant management style and, importantly, as a person I liked and respected, he did much to persuade me to give up the cigarette smoking that I had slipped into. I had been thinking over recent years about people with whom I had enjoyed working: so I looked up Frank together with C-C. I was sorry to see the sad news of Frank’s passing but it was good to see the fulsome tributes to such a good man and to know that he had had a long, active and healthy life into his early nineties.
Frank Palmer was a true Corinthian in every sense of the world and a lovely man to have known.

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Frank Palmer - A Tribute

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