Team photos: 1935-1950
These rare photographs are the original Brighton Tigers team photos that lined the walls of the Sports Stadium in West Street Brighton.
The photos were a familiar sight to the many thousand of supporters who visited the rink over the years to cheer their home team onto victory in its thirty year history. Originally framed, the photos lined the stairway to the left on the building up to the second floor where the very popular “Long Bar” was situated.
In the final stages of demolition in December 1965, all that remained of the vast rink that dominated the bottom of West Street was the main Art Deco style frontage! Many items of memorabilia had been left abandoned in Benny Lee’s (Managing Director) office as workmen routinely burnt their remains!
Fortunately the Brighton Tigers team photographs had been rescued prior to the building being closed by the well known BBC commentator Alan Weeks. Alan originally started his career at the rink as Publicity Officer in 1951. One of the Tigers biggest fans he was also one of the great commentators of ice hockey and ice skating worldwide.
Unfortunately some year photos are missing due to water damage as the original frames were dismantled for storage.
The photos were kindly donated to my project by his widow (Jane Weeks) and eventually will join the entire Sports Stadium collection when donated to the city.
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Trevor you’re a diamond! Working at the rink with Mike O’Brien, I remember every one of the players. For me the best was Verne Gardiner, Tommy Jamison and Jack McDonald (not shown). Oh to have those days back.
Contact me when the proposed area is nearing completion, as I can probably fill in some gaps in the missing Tigers team photos.
My Dad is Lee Thorne and is still alive and living in London, Ontario, Canada. He may be the last one alive from this era? My email is robthorne@rogers.com
My dad, Ted Cumming is in the first row 2nd from the right. He is 80 years old (2010) and is in great health. He’s still a great athlete and I’ve always admired him. He lives in Rancho Mirage, California and plays golf as much as he can. My dad had to give up his hockey career when he was still young to go back to Canada to help support his family after his dad died suddenly. He never forgot the days he had as a Brighton Tiger.
My dad Lorne Trottier was, I guess the tallest player of that side and in team photos was always in the middle at the back. It’s now nearly 15 years sinces he passed away but hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him fondly, he was a good guy.
Tommy Forgie was a friend of my father and over the years, my father and he lost touch. In 1989, I was on holiday in London and took my clubs out to Strawberry Hill Golf Club where my father and he had played in the 1950s. After a round of golf, I was sharing a pint with the club president and mentioned Tommy. “Why, he’s still a member!” and promptly rang him up. Out came Tommy to the course and we played another round (only a nine holer, thank goodness). He was a lovely man and he and my father reestablished contact and renewed their friendship. Both are gone now but the memory will remain.
Thank you so much for these photos. My father, Patsy Roméo Séguin played with the Brighton Tigers for the 1936-1937 season. We had the pleasure to share these pictures with him. He was thrilled. Patsy sadly passed away in April 2012, at the age of 97. He lived a happy life.
My dad is Lee Thorne (far right, back row) He passed away in London Ontario Canada on February 17th 2011.
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