A Brentford FC fan and publisher is trying to track down any living relatives of the club's best ever manager .
Dave Lane has already unearthed countless historical gems for The Official Brentford 125th Anniversary Book – released last year to mark a decade and a quarter of the Bees.
But two things eluded him, and he hopes that re-publishing the book will help trace some more treasure troves from the cub's history.
The updated version, which also includes the whole of an historic 2014-15 season, this week came back from the printers following a magnificent campaign to get it re-published , in which 177 backers pledged £18k.
There is plenty of information within on Curtis – who led the Bees on a remarkable run in the 1930s from the Third Division to the top flight for the only time in their history – but Lane feels there is still something missing.
He said: “One of the things that has never been fully investigated is what happened to Harry Curtis after he left Brentford in 1949. What is known is that he had a brief spell managing is non-league before going to live in Southend, where he died in 1966.
“There was never any kind of fall-out, but it looks like there was some kind of severance and he cut his ties with the club. There was a big gathering of former players and managers in the 1960s, and he wasn't there.
“We know he had children, and it would be fantastic to track down any living relatives of Brentford's greatest ever manager. I made a few tentative enquiries without getting very far, but there could be a relative out there with a box in the attic full of amazing stuff about Harry's life.”
The other item on Lane's search list concerns Frank Wakefield, a photographer who had offices in Brentford and Chiswick in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and took a lot of the earliest Brentford FC pictures.
Lane added: “The other thing I am hoping to come across is the Frank Wakefield collection. He was a portrait photographer from Ealing who took some stunning pictures in the club's early days.
“In those days they used glass plates in photography, and we have no idea whether they were destroyed or not. But again, there could be a box in an attic somewhere which could have an absolute treasure trove in it.”
Anyone who can help should email david@legendspublishing.net or call 07803 611 867. Visit http://www.legendspublishing.net/product/big-brentford-125-year-anniversary-book to buy the updated hardback version of the 125 years book.
