“Sport and Adventure” was a British boys’ story paper that emerged during the golden age of juvenile publishing, a time when weekly magazines catered to the growing appetite for action, heroism, and sporting exploits among young readers. Though not as enduring or widely documented as titles like The Boy’s Own Paper or Chums, Sport and Adventure carved out its niche in the early 1920s, offering a blend of athletic drama and daring escapades.

Published by Amalgamated Press, the magazine launched in 1918 and ran until 1923. It was part of a wave of post-World War I boys’ papers that sought to channel youthful energy into tales of physical prowess, moral courage, and patriotic duty and typically featured short stories and serials focused on football, boxing, cricket, and rugby, often with school or club settings. These were interspersed with adventure yarns - sometimes colonial or military in theme - designed to stir the imagination and reinforce ideals of bravery and fair play. The format was text-heavy, with illustrations used sparingly, and it followed the tradition of “story papers” rather than comic strips.

Football, already a national obsession by the early 1920s, featured prominently in its pages, not just in story form but through collectible ephemera. One such offering was the 1921-22 card series titled ‘Our gallery of Famous Footballers’. The cards were modest in design but rich in nostalgia. Their format, cut-outs from strips from weekly issues, means that surviving examples are often worn, trimmed unevenly or incomplete.

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Numbered series of 46 Famous Footballers. Issued in strips of 3

(No's 1 - 42) and strips of 2 (No's 43-46) Dated 29/04/22 to 12/08/22.

Size 68x44mm

11. William Thirlaway