Francis Marindin
Francis Arthur Marindin | |||||||||||||||||
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Born | Weymouth, Dorset, England | 1 May 1838||||||||||||||||
Died | 21 April 1900 Hans Crescent, London, England | (aged 61)||||||||||||||||
Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||
Education | Eton College Royal Military Academy, Woolwich | ||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Football player Football executive Soldier Inspecting officer of railways | ||||||||||||||||
Known for | Founder and player of Royal Engineers AFC President of The FA (1874–90) | ||||||||||||||||
Parent |
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Military career | |||||||||||||||||
Service/ | British Army | ||||||||||||||||
Years of service | 1854–1879 | ||||||||||||||||
Rank | Colonel | ||||||||||||||||
Unit | Royal Engineers | ||||||||||||||||
Battles/wars | Crimean War | ||||||||||||||||
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Colonel Sir Francis Arthur Marindin, KCMG (1 May 1838 – 21 April 1900) served with the Royal Engineers and was a key figure in the early development of association football. He was later knighted for his work in public services.[1]
Early life and education
Born in Weymouth, Dorset, he was the second son of the Rev. Samuel Marindin of Chesterton, in the parish of Worfield, Shropshire. He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.[2]
Military career
Marindin joined the Royal Engineers as an Ensign on 28 December 1854 and saw active service in the Crimean War (1855–56). He was a member of the Board of Trade Railway Inspectorate, an occupation he continued after he left the Corps. He was ultimately an honorary colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps.[1]
Football career
He is credited with having founded the Royal Engineers Football team in 1869, which went on to win the FA Cup in 1875. The club had been founded in at least 1863 and is notable as the first side to exploit modern teamwork and passing tactics. He retired from the Royal Engineers in 1879 at the rank of Major.[1]
As a football player, Marindin played in the first
Marindin become the President of the
Later career
He became an Inspecting Officer for the Board of Trade in 1875, rising to Senior Inspector of Railways in 1895. His work in this regard involved travelling the country to test and inspect new works on passenger railways to ensure their safety before they could be used, and also compiling reports on railway accidents - the accident at Thirsk in 1892 being a notable example. In describing this period of his life, his obituary in The Times of 24 April 1900, described him as "plain speaking, coupled with a complete mastery of his subject", making the point that the railway companies of the time knew that his office "was not likely to allow irregularities to remain long unnoticed". In 1899 he submitted a report on accidents on railway workers on which a new Act of Parliament concerning rail safety was based, and throughout the 1890s was responsible for a host of improvements in the working practices of Britain's railways.[1]
He helped develop London's new electrical lighting system and was knighted in 1897. He died aged 61 on 21 April 1900 at home at Hans Crescent, London S.W., and was buried on the family Scottish property at Craigflower, Torryburn, Dunfermline.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Francis Arthur MARINDIN". The Times. 24 April 1900. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Calls for Weymouth's football legend Sir Francis Marindin to be immortalised". The Dorset Echo. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ ISBN 1-899468-78-1.
- ^ The Early Years of the FA Cup: How the British Army Helped Establish the World's First Football Tournament:James W Bancroft:p 164
External links
- Francis Marindin referee profile at WorldFootball.net
- Francis Marindin referee profile at EU-Football.info