TIMELINE

10.01.1922 - William Beveridge Liddell is born in Townhill, Scotland.
27.07.1938 - Moves to Liverpool from Townhill to join his new team-mates.
17.04.1939 - Signs professionally for Liverpool 9 months after moving to the club.
16.12.1939 - First friendly game for Liverpool's first team vs. Preston (0-1).
01.01.1940 - Debut for the first team vs. Crewe Alexandra (7-3) in the Western Division.
18.04.1942 - Billy's wartime international debut vs England (5-4).
07.12.1942 - Joins the RAF and is a pathfinder in WWII.
05.01.1946 - Makes first appearance for Liverpool that goes to his official total of games. The opponents are Chester in the FA Cup. Liddell scores his debut goal.
20.07.1946 - Marries Phyllis three days after his good friend and teammate, Bob Paisley, marries.
15.05.1946 - Billy's "official" international debut for Scotland vs. Switzerland after playing 7 wartime games. Billy scored two goals on his competitive debut at Hampden Park in a 3-1 victory vs Switzerland.
1947 - Represents Great Britain against Europe.
27.02.1950 - Phyllis gives birth to twins David and Malcolm.
29.04.1950 - Billy's biggest Liverpool game to date. Liverpool lost 0-2 to Arsenal in the FA Cup final where Billy was kicked from pillar to post.
January 1951 - Billy's father passes away and his family moves from Townhill in Scotland to Liverpool for Billy to look after them.
24.04.1954 - Features for the last time in the First division. Yes, Billy didn't play in the top flight for the last six years of his career!
13.08.1955 - Chosen again for the British XI vs the cream of Europe. Billy and Sir Stanley Matthews were the only two footballers who had the distinction of playing in the 1947 and 1955 games for the British team. A feat even made grander by the fact that Billy was by now a 2nd division player.
20.08.1955 - Billy makes his debut as Liverpool's captain. He wore the captain's armband for three years.
09.11.1957 - Equals Elisha Scott's League appearance record for Liverpool of 430 League games. He went on to add 62 games to the record. Only the phenomenal Ian Callaghan has played more League games for Liverpool with 640. Note: At the time Billy was honoured at the Notts County game for breaking Elisha's record of 429 League games, but someone got their figures wrong at some point, because Elisha did indeed play 430 League games so Billy was equalling it, not breaking it.
1958 - Billy appointed Justice of the Peace.
18.10.1958 - 36-year-old Billy Liddell dropped by Liverpool for the first time in his career vs. Fulham. This was unheard of and created much anger among Liverpool's followers and the press.
1960 - Releases his autobiography: "My Soccer Story".
31.08.1960 - Last appearance for Liverpool vs Southampton in the 2nd division.
21.09.1960 - Liddell's testimonial vs International XI which included several greats such as Bert Trautmann (Man City), Jimmy Armfield (Blackpool), Don Revie (Leeds), Sir Stanley Matthews (Blackpool), Nat Lofthouse (Bolton) and Sir Thomas Finney (Preston legend).
1962 - At the end of his football career Billy joined the Guild of Students as Deputy Permanent Secretary & Bursar at the University of Liverpool.
1984 - Retires as bursar at the University of Liverpool.
1992 - Billy comes off the bench! He retires as Justice of the Peace when he reaches 70.
03.07.2001 - Billy Liddell passes away.
16.11.2008 - The Scottish Football Association inducts Billy Liddell into SFA Hall of Fame after a powerful campaign by the Billy Liddell Memorial Group.

King Billy quote
"Being a resident of Townhill I am being pretty vocal about this btw, Billy Liddell single-handedly saved LIVERPOOL FC from obscurity, if it wasn't for Billy Liddell then LFC wouldn't be where they are today, NO Bill Shankly, NO Sir Bob Paisley, NO 5 European cup wins, NO 18 league titles, this man was our saving grace during the 50's, do me a favour and get this petition signed, this one time Anfield legend deserves a statue in his home town, come on people of RAWK, sign it and lets get this TRUE Anfield legend the honour he deserves." Haggis from RAWK forum

King Billy quote

"Being a resident of Townhill I am being pretty vocal about this btw, Billy Liddell single-handedly saved LIVERPOOL FC from obscurity, if it wasn't for Billy Liddell then LFC wouldn't be where they are today, NO Bill Shankly, NO Sir Bob Paisley, NO 5 European cup wins, NO 18 league titles, this man was our saving grace during the 50's, do me a favour and get this petition signed, this one time Anfield legend deserves a statue in his home town, come on people of RAWK, sign it and lets get this TRUE Anfield legend the honour he deserves."

Haggis from RAWK forum

Site News (Archive)
A nice story about Billy - the gentleman 01.09.2010 During the season 1953/54 I was living in the tenements of Glasgow (The Gorbals) and my father who was a merchant seaman and ran the Atlantic Convoys during the war 1939/43 and would often sail into Liverpool before coming up to Glasgow for R&R during those war-time years where he met my mother, and my earliest recollections of meeting the great Billy Liddell was when my father met and struck up a friendship with Billy and he came to our house in that room and kitchen in Glasgow. At the time there was 7 of plus my mother and father and I can remember this very smartly dressed person and my curiosity over all those years and especially lately when I discovered that 1953/54 was a particularly difficult season for Liverpool Football Club. I was often full of wonderment that that man could be so humble as to come and visit what was very grim accommodation at the time. I can, therefore, understand that people could say so many good things about him both on and off the pitch. - Reg Isaacson
Billy in color 19.08.2010 JK Williams sent us a few classic pictures of Billy Liddell which he has colorized. Click here to view his efforts.

Site News (Archive)

A nice story about Billy - the gentleman
01.09.2010
During the season 1953/54 I was living in the tenements of Glasgow (The Gorbals) and my father who was a merchant seaman and ran the Atlantic Convoys during the war 1939/43 and would often sail into Liverpool before coming up to Glasgow for R&R during those war-time years where he met my mother, and my earliest recollections of meeting the great Billy Liddell was when my father met and struck up a friendship with Billy and he came to our house in that room and kitchen in Glasgow. At the time there was 7 of plus my mother and father and I can remember this very smartly dressed person and my curiosity over all those years and especially lately when I discovered that 1953/54 was a particularly difficult season for Liverpool Football Club. I was often full of wonderment that that man could be so humble as to come and visit what was very grim accommodation at the time. I can, therefore, understand that people could say so many good things about him both on and off the pitch. - Reg Isaacson

Billy in color
19.08.2010
JK Williams sent us a few classic pictures of Billy Liddell which he has colorized. Click here to view his efforts.