Description:This postcard is addressed to Ernie Hazlehurst who played for Port Vale Football Club on several occasions. The postcard informs him that he has been selected to play for the Club on Monday April 9 1923 and with instructions to be at the football ground in Hanley by 4.00 pm ready to play against Wolverhampton at 5.00 pm.
The postcard is dated 7 April and franked on the 8 April 1923. Due to the amount of postal collections and deliveries at the time, the postcard could have arrived at Ernie’s home address in Stone on the same day as posting and if not then it would have usually arrived on the following day.
Ernie would have played at the ‘Old Recreation Ground’ which was a football stadium in Hanley. ‘The Rec’ was Port Vale’s home between 1913 and 1950 and was the sixth ground the club used. In 1950 the club moved to Burslem when the Vale Park stadium opened. The site of ‘The Rec’ was redeveloped and became The Potteries Shopping Centre.
Ernie was a builder by trade and later played for Stone Football Club. In 1941 he was a driver in the Army, later serving in Monte Casino and in September 1945 in North Africa. Later in 1945 he was demobbed and returned to the building trade.