They called him Bandsman Bradley

This piece originally was originally included in the Prescot Cables digital matchday programme for the match against Hebburn Town on 8th November 2025.

In the wartime football matches of the First World War, clubs often struggled to field teams from one week to the next. As a result many local players were selected, and established footballers often guested for teams many miles away from their parent clubs, depending on where they may be stationed in the Armed Forces.

In 1915, Liverpool selected Norman Bradley at half-back for a number of matches.

Norman Briscoe Bradley was born in 1893, in Kirkdale, Liverpool, the youngest of 3 children to his father Daniel Balentine Bradley and Mother, Elizabeth Annie. His father and his father’s brother were both from Hayfield in Derbyshire and married two Briscoe sisters from Bolton, hence his unusual middle name.

Norman played for Prescot Athletic in 1910, when he was seventeen years old. After Bradley left Prescot he went to British Columbia, Canada, to join his elder brother, and for nearly three seasons he played with the Port Alberni F.C. In late 1914, he came back to England on board the liner, Lusitania, to enlist in the Army. He became a bandsman in a local army regiment - the 9th King’s Liverpool Regiment.

After returning home he continued to play football, turning out for Ormskirk, before being signed by Liverpool in November, 1915. There had been a previous player for Stoke City and Liverpool called Norman Bradley, so this Norman became known as ‘Bandsman Bradley’.

On his early performances for Liverpool, it was recognised that Bandsman Bradley was not only clever in defence, but also in leading to forward attacks, and he was considered a robust player, too, for his size. As early as December 1915, the Liverpool Echo commented that, ‘He has a very promising outlook from the football point of view. Anfield has taken kindly to him, just as he has taken kindly to Anfield, and if he continues in his steadfast game he will want a lot of moving by opponents or by aspirants for the right half back position of the Liverpool side.’

In February 1916, he suffered an injury playing against Blackpool, which kept him away from football for several weeks, but he was still able to play in the band - indeed the Regimental band entertained the crowd at Anfield on several occasions during this time.

Bradley was stationed variously at Blackpool, Oswestry and in Liverpool during this time, so was able to appear for Liverpool, regularly, in the 1915/16 and 1916/17 seasons. In 1918 he was stationed in Blackpool again, and played several games for the Tangerines.

In 1919, Norman married Dorothy ‘Dot’ Smith - the daughter of a prominent local Councillor - in Abertillery, Monmouthshire. Later that year they emigrated to Canada, and settled in Nelson, British Columbia. They had four children.

At Christmas 1926, Bradley wrote to ‘Bee’ - the football correspondent of the Liverpool Echo, providing an update on his situation in British Columbia. He noted that he had received a copy of the ‘Football Echo’ every week since he returned to Canada in 1919, sent by his mother and father, who had retired to live in Newton near West Kirby on the Wirral.

Image credit: Cheryl Taschuk via the playupliverpool.com website

He went on to say that ‘football is growing and improving here out West, and I am glad to say I have taken an active pert and in good shape without an injury, being captain of Nelson FC and also for a City League team, and just been presented with the City Cup.’

However, it seems that all was not well on the domestic front, as his letter also contained a request to Bee. ‘I would ask you to do me a service. I have been anxious to get back into English League football again, especially as my people are getting on in years, and I would like to be near. Could you let me know if any club would desire my services as half-back? Perhaps Davy Ashworth would remember me, or New Brighton or Tranmere. Would they find me a position in the clerical line, as a book-keeper in the railway service, or city clerk, offices etc. I have been 5 ½ years in the Superintendents office of C.P.R. [Canadian Pacific Railway] here.. I am in A1 shape and would price my worth. References from football executive and aldermen here would suffice, I presume. I am glad to see some of my fellow players, Billy Mercer, [Tommy] Lucas, [John] Bamber etc. are still going strong and would like to be pushing the leather on some of the grounds of even turf. There are some pioneer teams here in outlandish places. One ground just made from a ploughed field in the orchards has a deep gully on two sides, and each time the ball goes over the fence, there is a ‘time off’ of about three minutes. Another ground, where there is a very large smelter in the town, is chiefly made up of droppings from smelter smoke, it is like playing in sand on the damp days or a smoke screen in the dry weather. In another match the referee spoke indiscreetly to a ‘spec’, which led to fisticuffs at half-time.’

Sadly, it seems that his request to be fixed up with a team back home fell on deaf ears. Unfortunately, Norman and Dot separated in 1928 and she returned to the UK, taking their youngest daughter with her and leaving the other children in Canada. Norman stayed in British Columbia and took on a housekeeper to help to run the household and look after the children.

In January 1929, Bradley wrote from Nelson to Mr Bainbridge, a Director of Liverpool FC, updating his tale. He stated that he still closely followed the fortunes of sport in his home City, as his mother was still regularly sending him copies of the Liverpool Echo. He also noted that he continued to play football, captaining Nelson FC, and that they had won the Kootenay Championship the previous year. Interestingly, he also noted that they had experimented with using substitutions and playing four quarter periods, in the manner of ice hockey.

After being granted a divorce from Dot in 1933, Norman married his housekeeper, Ruth Lillian Lind - eighteen years his junior. They had three children together.

Norman Briscoe Bradley died in Nelson in November 1958, aged 65, but his second wife lived to the age of 98, passing away in 2009.