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From the Burnley Express Cuttings Library, this is a photo of Cyril Tyson, (1920-2014) probably in either 1936 or 1937, but no newspaper cutting was in the envelope. Cyril was born in Darwen, and was a county level schoolboy footballer, and a good scholar. Blackburn Rovers took him on their office staff so he could continue his education. He performed well in a Mid-week League match for Darwen Corinthians against Burnley Colts and as a result in May, 1936 Burnley made him assistant to the club Secretary, and he signed as an amateur player in 1937. He was described as a stocky left half. He was not only a good footballer, and clever, but a self-taught accordion player, due to perform at the Supporters' Club dance in March 1939, whilst his boss Mr. Boland, was to judge the best ladies ankle competition.
The obituary which Club Historian Ray Simpson wrote for the Burnley FC website when Cyril died in Birmingham in 2014 aged 93, also tells us that Cyril played briefly at third team level, but was quick to join up in 1939, and post-war went to Cambridge University where he took a degree in Modern Languages, and won a "blue" in football. He taught French and Italian, and also coached amateur football. His family on his death described him as "Beloved father, grand father, great grand father, friend, teacher, colleague and football coach. "
In a strange co-incidence, when Foreign Secretary and Blackburn M.P., Jack Straw, met French President Jacques Chirac in April 2004, the President's interpreter sounded like he came from Blackburn, and turned out to be Cyril's grandson, Manuel Malherbe. Images of Mr. Malherbe on the Internet, seem to show a family resemblance.