Gerald Benham

Gerald Benham

Gerald was a Colchester based solicitor who played football for recreation and was a famous name with the early Colchester Town side.

Working in Luton in April 1907 he was asked to play for the Town as an amateur in an Easter Southern League home game against Northampton, in the absence through injury of Sandy Brown, which was won 1-0 with him scoring the goal.

He played a couple of games in the Town’s Western League side the following season but it was at Colchester that his name is more associated.

After rising to the rank of Major in World War One and winning an MC he was part of the committee that purchased Layer Road in 1919 and, as Mayor, chaired the meeting to bring about professionalism and the forming of Colchester United in 1937.