As the 1910-11 season got underway, Mr William Grogan was back on the scene but his tenure was short lived. He produced the artwork for four programme covers, the final one being for the Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers on 1st October 1910, which Chelsea won 3-0. George Hilsdon and a Bob Whittingham brace accounted for the goals in front of 25,000 spectators at Stamford Bridge.
Then, on 15th October 1910, a plain covered programme for the game against Blackpool that ended 0-0 in front of a 30,000 gate, featured on page 5, a drawing by Bernhard Hugh. Again, I don’t know how he came on the scene, but he was commissioned to produce the artwork for his first programme, the Chelsea v Lincoln City on 29th October 1910. George Hilsdon, Bob Whittingham and Vivian Woodward scored two goals each and a single strike from Sam Downing gave Chelsea a 7-0 victory in front of 25,000 spectators.
Without being disrespectful to the two previous artists, Bernhard Hugh’s work was much more professional in style and also much wittier with ‘Percy’ the Pensioner featuring heavily in the cartoons. It was also the start of an association that would see Bernhard Hugh continue to draw the programme cover for another twenty six years.
By Paul Waterhouse, Bygone Chelsea 1905-99