In Rovers We Trust CIC (IRWT) is raising funds to erect a Doncaster Rovers memorial in Hyde Park Cemetery and to provide recognition for club founder Albert Jenkins.
The memorial will be erected in good time to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary in September 2029.
Most of Albert’s founding team of 1879 and many other subsequent players and staff are buried in Doncaster’s historic cemetery not far from the stadium. In most cases the graves are unmarked with their exact locations not visible to the public.
IRWT is determined to create a permanent memorial which will honour and remember all DRFC players and staff who lie in Hyde Park Cemetery and make their locations clear for visitors.
This will be a fitting way of recognising the part those individuals played in the formation and history of our club.
These were not superstars or rich men. The earliest players were not even professional footballers (except for John Mitchell, who later played for Newton Heath / Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers). They were ordinary working class young men of 19th century Doncaster who played the emerging game of ‘association football’ just for fun.
Doncaster is rightly proud of its place in world rail history. In many cases our early players worked at the Great Northern Railway’s ‘Plant Works’ in nearby Hexthorpe. Typically they lived in the red brick terraced housing built for its workers. The men often continued working at The Plant for many years and brought their sons to work there too. Albert Jenkins was himself a fitter at The Plant for 45 years.
We have already found a few living descendants of early Rovers players. We plan to find all the DRFC-related graves in Hyde Park Cemetery.
This memorial will also symbolise all former players who have passed away, wherever they lie. It will also stand as a lasting tribute to all fans who have ever followed Doncaster Rovers FC.