Louis Bookman

Louis Bookman

Born in Lithuania in 1890, Louis and his Jewish family emigrated to Ireland to escape persecution and changed their name from Buchalter.

Much to his families dismay he became good at all sports, especially football, and after starring on the wing for Belfast Celtic he signed for Bradford City, then a top flight side, and from there to West Brom where he won the first of his caps for Ireland.

At the end of the Great War he signed on for the Town and soon became a crowd favourite as a fast, skilful winger with a good cross. He was picked to play for Ireland, along with his Luton colleague Alan Mathieson, against an England side which included Town centre-forward Ernie Simms in 1922. A first for a Division Three side.

Louis left Luton in 1922 after a fall-out with secretary/manager Charles Green and eventually ended up at Port Vale before returning to Ireland with Shelbourne. He became a watchmaker/jeweller in later life and passed away in Dublin in 1943.