Joe English

oe English won the AAA steeplechase title in 1907 (on “home soil” at Fallowfield) and 1910, when he beat the holder Reg Noakes into second place. English was also the Northern Counties champion eight times (1906-10, 1912-14), and Lancashire County 880 yards champion in 1914. As the Northern title was then decided over the ¾-mile distance, it provided a good grounding when he made a successful switch to the 440y hurdles. He won the AAA title in 1914 and was runner-up to George Gray in 1919, when the Championship resumed after the War. English had joined the Royal Engineers as a sapper in 1915, and the following year saw action in France, after which he was awarded the DCM in 1918 for repairing telephone lines while under enemy fire. A plumber by trade, English served as the Manchester and District representative of the Northern Counties AAA, and was a life member of Manchester AC, acting as their president in the year before his death.

Personal Best: 440yH – 59.6 (1914).