(in memory of Colin Campbell McKechnie Veitch, 1881-1938)
‘One man that has a mind and knows it can always beat ten men who haven't and don't.’ George Bernard Shaw
Football brain,
you thought with your feet,
treading the boards
in a dynamic theatre
of passing action.
A winning way,
love of the glorious day
and a sense of history
from Heaton Park
to socialism.
Your story,
from the pulsing Tyne
to the Geordie trophy room,
keeps us hoping
on Gallowgate,
alive with dignity
and strong respect
for the ideal of community
and the black and white love
of fairness.
Battling away,
in a skilled midfield
and in the stinking trenches,
you fought
for your troubled lilting city
and all of those
who ever kicked a ball
in its intimate soulful avenues.
KEITH ARMSTRONG
Colin Veitch made a total of 322 appearances for Newcastle United, scoring 49 goals. He captained the United side which won League Championships in 1905, 1907 and 1909, the FA Cup in 1910 and were FA Cup finalists in 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1911, and also represented England on 6 occasions.
Heaton History Group and Chris Goulding successfully campaigned for a commemorative plaque to be displayed on Colin Veitch’s former home in Heaton, Newcastle. The unveiling took place on 25th September 2013.
