The Media Superstars of World War One: Sterling Ladies FC - The Dagenham Invincibles - Part 2

28/01/2026  -  1.24

Steve Bolton

Vickers Crayford Athletic Club Players with Sterling Captain A. Dixie

Source: She Kicks, 2025

40 Second Clip at Chalkwell Park, Southend

This clip was heralded as the ‘…first known footage of a women’s football match’ and as a combined Vickers Crayford and Vickers Dartford team. I don’t think that either of these apply now.

This was the penultimate and 19th game of the season for the Sterlings. It was a huge charity fundraiser for the three Southend war hospitals. This was a very challenging game for the Sterlings who were taking on the mighty undefeated Vickers Crayford Ladies. The Sterlings can be seen in their blue kits and Vickers Crayford can be seen wearing black shorts and white tops with natty cravats. If you look carefully you can just make out VCAC (Vickers Crayford Athletic Club) on their badges. There were claims printed in the papers afterwards that some Vickers Dartford players were involved, but the Sterlings had already played against Vickers Dartford, both home and away, earlier in the season. None of the listed names match the Dartford team lists, so on balance I think that this should be recorded as Vickers Crayford.

Superstar centre-forward Maud Smith is easy to spot, as she is the only Sterling player sporting an all-white bobble hat, which needs frequent readjustment! The game was kicked off at 3pm by the Chief of Police, Mr Henry Kerslake and the women were entertained to tea afterwards by Commandant Henry Walker of the V.A.D hospital, the Mayor of Southend being indisposed.

Three pictures of this game appeared in the Daily Mirror.

Filmed Game Number 3 - Sterlings 11-0 LGOCo - Saturday 4 May, 1918

Source: British Pathe ID: 1892.45

38 Second Clip at Ilford Football Club

This was the last ever game for star centre-forward Maud Smith. She retired in style from football after this game to marry the Sterling’s Tennis Captain. The newly formed ladies football team of the London General Omnibus Company (Forest Gate), also known as ‘The Clippies’ played the mighty Sterlings to raise money for the Ilford Emergency Hospital. The two teams can be seen walking through the crowd onto the pitch. The Sterlings in their iconic blue kit are seen leading 3-year-old Mascot Maisie Smith (no relation) onto the pitch. They are followed by the ‘greens’, who had filled the role of bus conductors, an occupation previously reserved for men. The ‘greens’ were essentially an early West Ham Women’s team and both teams were given the great honour of starting the following season at Upton Park. West Ham United is therefore a pioneer of women’s football. Ada Burney, wife of managing director Guy Burney is seen kicking-off the game, with Alan Bott refereeing. Some game play then ensues with Maud Smith again noticeable in her white bobble hat.

Media Superstars

The Daily Mirror featured two pictures of this game, the first picture showing the captains with Maisie Smith and the second depicting the legendary Maud Smith in action. Picturegoer newspaper showed a picture of Ada Burney kicking-off in her posh shoes with a toe poke. The Winnipeg Tribune featured two pictures with the headline: “Winnipeg Girls Should Follow English Maidens and Get Into Football Game”. One picture is an action shot with the ‘Bus girls’ defending their goal. The other is the team picture with all the men edited out, including Guy Burney, which I feel is a trifle unfair. The team picture (men not edited out) appeared in the New York Herald with the line: “This group is the Sterling Ladies Football Club, the unbeaten women champions of the country” (“PICTURES” WEEKLY NEWS).

LADIES FOOTBALL MATCH AT ILFORD

Sterling Ladies’ F.C. (the unbeaten lady champions) v L.G.O.C. Ladies F.C.

Source: BNA Picturegoer, Saturday 18 May 1918

Ada Burney Kick’s Off

One aspect that I would like to emphasise is the mixing of classes. Most, if not all of the Sterling Ladies FC were from very humble origins in the area around rural Dagenham. Within a few short months they were mixing with the very top of society and the ‘establishment’, e.g. Members of Parliament, top Church officials and top Military officials, etc. I can only imagine what the buzz must have been like back at the factory when all their family and friends had seen them on Pathe news in the local cinema. This sort of ‘My Fair Lady’ journey was extremely rare in this era.

Pathe Gazette in Kinematograph Weekly

ILFORD, LADIES FOOTBALL MATCH STERLING LADIES F.C.

The unbeaten Lady Champions v L.G.O.C. Ladies’ F.C.

Source: BNA Kinematograph Weekly, Thursday 16 May 1918 - Bottom Left

Filmed Game Number 4 - Sterlings 2-0 Handley Page - Saturday 12 April 1919

Source: British Pathe ID: 1910.45

2 Minutes and 43 Seconds Clip at Ilford Football Club

This is remarkable footage at nearly 3 minutes in length and was part of Pathe Gazette Number 555. A crowd of 4,000 were there to see the ‘famous’ Sterling Ladies take on the only recently formed ‘Aircraft Girls’ from Cricklewood. The Sterlings had played them earlier on in January and thrashed them 6-0 at their home ground in Dagenham (now the home ground of the current West Ham Women). This was a much closer affair. Again, Mascot 4-year-old Maisie Smith, relative of Mr D. J. F. Campbell, one of the organisers, was present. Regular referee, Mr Alan Bott, helped organise and also took the whistle.

The footage starts with the two teams lined up in the goals, the Sterlings in blue and Handley Page in their tunics with large, floppy, tam o’shanter style hats. Much loved local MP Sir Peter Griggs, is shown in the centre circle where Lady Griggs consented to kick-off. The Handley Page defence and goalkeeper (white top) are kept very busy with waves of Sterling attacks. I absolutely love the bit at half-time where a couple of the Handley Page players notice the camera whilst trooping out for the second half and touch their hair whilst coyly glancing at the camera. More game footage ensues of further waves of Sterling attacks. The media savvy Sterlings are then seen walking out followed by Sir Peter and Lady Griggs.

Topical Budget

Source: BNA Kinematograph Weekly, Thursday 3 January 1918

Newsreels at the Local Cinema

The Topical Budget was a silent newsreel first issued in September 1911. During the First World War, the British Government took control, which led to a confusing variety of names, including the War Office Official Topical Budget from May 1917, and the Pictorial News (Official) from February 1918. In May 1919, the reel reverted to the name Topical Budget and by then had been sold to the newspaper magnate Edward Hulton.

Several Cinemas in Each Town

Source: BNA Preston Herald, Saturday 13 October 1917

One Continuous Performance

Here is a typical example from one town. In Preston, as well as the Palace Theatre, you could also visit the Empire Theatre, Preston Royal Hippodrome, Theatre Royal, Princes Theatre or the Palace and Picturedome. The Pathe newsreels were a popular way of filling the bill with interesting items.

Valence House Museum and Archives

Source: Steve Bolton Collection

An Architectural Treasure

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has a fantastic resource on the edge of Valence Park in Dagenham. Valence House is the only surviving manor house in Dagenham and it is home to the borough’s collections and archives. The archives hold a treasure trove of evidence from the Sterling Telephone and Electrical Company archives. It is worth noting, the Sterling Engineering Company which was established on the same site with the same name in 1940 and made the famous sub-machine gun had no other connection to the long departed Telephone and Electrical Company, they simply built on the same site and took the same name.

The archives are housed in a modern building with a lovely cafe. Valence House is a Grade II listed building and houses the fantastic museum. The House was surrounded by a rare Medieval hand-dug moat which was first documented in 1650. In late 2025, it was announced that the remaining North moat would be repaired and restored. Both museum and archives are well worth a visit.

Sir Alfred Ramsey - ‘The Heath’ and Dagenham Boy

Sir Alf - Neighbour of the Sterlings

A large part of the history of Dagenham is about the Becontree Estate which dominates Dagenham and was built between 1921 and 1935. My good friend, Grant Bage, has produced the most astonishing re-write of the history of the archetypal Englishman and football legend, Sir Alfred Ramsey. He was a Dagenham boy. He grew up by ‘The Heath’ and members of his family seemed to some on the new Becontree Estate to have Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) heritage. He suffered racist epithets due to that, and whispered rumours about Alf’s ancestry surface even during and beyond his 1963-1974 spell as England Manager. I won’t say anymore, other than please read this fantastic book.

Biography

Steve Bolton was awarded a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from University College London) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Nottingham. Steve’s passion is researching and writing about the history of women’s football. I have had several articles published and he is currently working on his first book: “Granny Played Football”. Granny Lizzy Ashcroft was one of the most influential and important pre-WW2 women’s footballers. She made her debut at the age of 16 for St Helens Ladies at St Andrews in April 1921 in front of a crowd of 30,000. After the English FA ban she joined the Dick Kerr Ladies in 1923 where she played until her retirement in 1935. She was Vice-Captain under Lily Parr from 1932-1934 and in 1935 took over the captaincy from her great mate Lily and led the DKL only their second ever continental tour. Steve is custodian of the Lizzy Ashcroft Collection which is one of the foremost collections of pre-World War Two women’s football memorabilia in private hands.

Steve’s Twitter handle is: @DagenhamInvince and he can be contacted by email at: lizzyashcroftfootballer@gmail.com