Whistling his Way to Wembley: Percy Harper of Stourbridge, Cup Final Referee

Percy Harper (1892-1954) is best remembered for awarding a controversial goal which helped Newcastle United achieve victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup Final of 1932. That Harper was selected to take charge of the most important match of the English season indicated that he was among the elite of soccer referees. Letters and other papers assembled by Harper are used here to shed light on his career and on the pressures to which he was exposed in the course of 17 seasons (1922-1939) at the highest level of the English professional game. A top referee's life could be difficult at times, but there were significant rewards which more than compensated.