| David A. Wilson |
 David Ashley Wilson was born on Friday, 22nd February, 1878, in Kelvinside, Glasgow. The forward signed for Thistle on Tuesday, 13th August, 1901, having most recently been with Rangers. Aged 23, he made his debut appearance on Saturday, 4th May, 1901, in a 1-0 friendly defeat away to Airdrieonians. He scored his one and only goal for the club on Saturday, 19th October, 1901, in a 5-0 win at home to Abercorn in the SFL Second Division. He played his third and final game as a Jag on Saturday, 8th March, 1902; a 2-0 win at home to Ayr in the SFL Second Division. His club-list included Dunfermline Athletic Juniors, Rangers, Partick Thistle and Distillery. David died on Monday, 22nd April 1935, in Sale, Greater Manchester, aged 57.
|
 The son of David Wilson (bank manager) and Mary Wilson (née MacIntyre) who married in Partick in 1875. Interestingly the Scottish Census of 1891 shows all three Wilson children (Edith, David & William) staying with their Uncle and Aunt in Ayr, with the Uncle listed as an Inland Revenue Officer, so there may be a story here, as we don’t know what has happened to Mum and Dad. This man led a very colourful life, and was well travelled. For some reason, he started his footballing journey with Dunfermline Athletic Juniors before signing for Rangers in April 1900, where he was mainly a reserves player. David, a right winger, had one full season at Thistle although, once again, he was rarely seen in first team action. It was an exciting season for the Jags who were in a ding-dong battle with Port Glasgow Athletic for the Second Division flag. Despite narrowly losing out, the 2nd place finish led to Partick Thistle being elected to the First Division. It's unclear where David played in 1902-03, but later press reports in New Zealand revealed that he played with Distillery in Belfast (no dates mentioned) so that seems like a good possibility. David emigrated to New Zealand to join his brother William Barrack Wilson in October 1903 when his occupation was listed as seedsman. As mentioned above, the local press gave him a write-up indicating he would be parading his footie skills, so there could be further entries in-waiting for his club-list! His brother William also seems to have been a well-known figure in New Zealand life. The New Zealand venture doesn’t seem to have lasted long, as the brothers appear together in the English Census of 1911. Upon their return, the two brothers settled in Cheshire; the seedsman is now a Doctor! The brother is a cotton merchant. They seem to have come from a middle-class family. When David died in the springtime of 1935, his published will left a substantial inheritance to his brother of over £18,000. |
| (WS/JK) |
