This white England shirt, no 10, was worn by Duncan Edwards. Plain white short sleeved England shirt with a v-neck. Attached to the left of the chest is a shirt badge which has the FA’s three lion shield in the middle. A red number 10 has been sewn on to the back.

Born in Dudley on 1st October 1936, Duncan Edwards’ talent shone so brightly that his school master commented: “I have just seen a boy of 11 who will one day play for England.” He was spotted as an 11-year-old whilst playing for Dudley schoolboys by Reg Priest, United’s Midlands scouting representative, who reported: “Have today seen a schoolboy who merits special attention”’. So keen were United to sign the youngster that his progress was carefully and continually checked. By 1951 Jack O’Brien, also scouting for United, reported back to the club that Edwards was “…a 14-year-old school-kid who looked and played like a man.”

However, news of Duncan Edwards’ extraordinary talent had also spread throughout the West Midlands with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City all wanting to sign him. By 1952 he had represented Worcestershire Schoolboys and had also captained the England Schoolboys side. Despite the competition for his signature, it was United who won the race and on 31st May 1952 he signed as an amateur player. At the age of 16 and still an amateur, Edwards made his first team debut on 4th April 1953 against Cardiff City. He signed as a professional 8 months later on his 17th birthday, becoming a regular member of the team in 1953-54 season. As a player, Duncan Edwards never gave less than 100 per cent. His attitude on the football pitch was matched with a determination to succeed in life. When talking of his life after soccer he realistically said:

“It’s nice to be cheered… but you can’t live forever on cheers. It’s what you have in the bank when you have finished the game that cheers a footballer most of all. People forget very easily and I don’t want to become like some of the old timers wearing tattered caps and cadging free tickets outside the grounds.”

This probably prompted him to become one of the first players to make the most out of his status, promoting energy drinks and other products. He also wrote a book just before his death called ‘Tackle Soccer This Way’, which was published posthumously.

On the football field his success was spectacular; by the age of 21 Duncan Edwards had won three FA Youth Cup winners’ medals, two League Championships and an FA Cup runners-up medal. When he made his international debut for England, he became the youngest player to be capped in the 20th century aged just 18 years and 183 days. This record stood for over 40 years until Michael Owen was capped in February 1998. Edwards represented England at all levels gaining nine schoolboy caps, youth caps, four England B caps, six Under-23 caps and 18 full caps.

When he died on the 21st February 1958 from the severe injuries he had sustained in the Munich Air Disaster, Walter Winterbottom, the England team manager said, “It was in the character and spirit of Duncan Edwards that I saw the true revival of British football.” 

Edwards was a truly great footballer and one of the outstanding prospects in the English game. He was regarded as the complete footballer, he had skill, power, speed, stamina, was good in the air and his powerful and accurate shot generated chaos in the most organised of defences. He could play in the half-back line where his normal position was as a left half-back but was also able to successfully play as a forward. He made a total of 177 first team appearances for United and scored 21 goals before his death in the Rechts der Isar hospital in Munich. Matt Busby rated him as the most “…complete footballer in Britain – possibly the world.”

The greatest tragedy is that when he died, he had not even reached his peak football playing years and his full potential had never been realised for United or England. When Duncan Edward’s body was brought home for burial, over 5,000 people lined the streets in Dudley as a tribute to one of their most famous sons. He was buried at Dudley Cemetery, Queen’s Cross, Dudley alongside his infant sister who had died in 1947.

Did you know?

  • Duncan Edwards was called up for National Service in June 1955 and served as a Lance Corporal Ammunition Storeman at the Central Ammunition Depot at Nesscliff in Shropshire.
  • At United he earned £15 per week during the season and £12 per week out of season. There was a maximum wage throughout the Football League at this time.
  • Three years after the Munich Air Disaster Matt Busby unveiled a pair of stained-glass windows commemorating his life at St Francis’ Church in Dudley.
  • There are two streets named after him: Duncan Edwards Close in Dudley and Duncan Edwards Court in the Newton Heath area of Manchester.     
  • A statue commemorating his life was unveiled by his mother, Sarah Edwards, and Sir Bobby Charlton in Dudley town centre on 14th October 1999.

 

FACT FILE

Name: Duncan Edwards

Date & Place of Birth: 1st October 1936, Dudley, Worcestershire

Date & Place of Death: 21st February 1958, Munich, Germany

Position: Left half-back, Defender

Signed   : United amateur 31st May 1952; United professional 1st October 1953

League Debut: 4th April 1953, Manchester United versus Cardiff City

International Debut: England versus Scotland, 2nd April 1955

Playing Career: Schoolboy football, Manchester United