Antiques Roadshow guests surprised at value of Leeds legend's sporting memorabilia - Mail 1/10/23

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Antiques Roadshow guests surprised at value of late England and Leeds United footballing legend family member's sporting memorabilia and war medals

By OWEN TONKS

Some family members of the late Leeds United and England football player Eric Stephenson were left stunned after they brought some sporting memorabilia and war medals belonging to the sportsman to be valued on the Antiques Roadshow during Sunday's episode.

The BBC One show stopped to film in West Yorkshire city Leeds' Roundhay Park and two guests travelled from Spain to bring some items which had been kept in their family.

They presented expert Raj Bisram with some England football caps that Eric, real name Joseph Eric Stephenson, won for playing against Ireland and Scotland during his footballing career which lasted from 1935 to 1941.

The mother-son duo also brought with them some war medals which were handed to Eric during his military career after he left Leeds in 1941 to become a Major in the Gurkha Rifles.

Eric died in active service in British Burma in September 1944 and is buried at the Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar.

The guest explained: 'He was my late grandfather. He lived locally in Leeds... I live in Spain but my grandmother lives here and I have lots of memories of here.'

Expert Raj said: 'He was a legend of Leeds. He kind of had two careers - this footballing career and then of course the war came along.'

The other guest explained: 'He enlisted in October '39, a month after the war broke out, and initially he was given the role of physical training instructor but after maybe two years he felt like he wasn't doing enough, he wanted to have a more active role.

'He actually went to Sandhurst where he left as a commissioned officer in the Indian army and he led a company of Gurkhas, and he served in three campaigns.

'He was killed in action on the 8th September 1944.'

Raj responded: 'A really brave man, there's no doubt about it. He came from an extremely humble background because he came from Leytonstone in London and because, his parents, they didn't have a lot of money, they moved to Roundhay here in Leeds.

'And he trialled for Leeds and, because his family didn't have a lot of money, he thought he would have to go out to work and not turn professional but Leeds were really good to him.

'At 16 or 17 I think he was, they offered him a contract, and that was £12 a week, which was a lot of money in those days!

'He didn't have to go out and do physical work, he could carry on playing football and support his family as well so it's a beautiful story.'

The guests insisted they would never sell the items but Raj went on to reveal the values even so.

He valued the two football caps at between £1,200 and £1,500, and the four war medals at £80 to £120 each.

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