The club are indebted to author Mike Gardner who has gifted the club access to Willie, the Life and Times of a Rugby League Legend, which was first published in 1994
THE LIFE story of Barrow’s greatest ever player, Willie Horne, is now available to download for free, to read and share with friends, on your Kindle, iphone, mobile device or PC.
In time we will add the publication to our document library, but for now download a PDF copy via the link at the bottom of this page.
Willie, the Life and Times of a Rugby League Legend has more than 300 pages and 130 photographs, and was critically-acclaimed across the rugby world.
His status as an all-time great was confirmed in 2014 when Willie was inaugurated into the Rugby League Hall of Fame alongside former Castleford and Great Britain star Mal Reilly. They joined just 21 other legends including the likes of Neil Fox, Alex Murphy, Roger Millward and Billy Boston.
Willie, who was born in Barrow, in 1922, captained Barrow, Lancashire, England and Great Britain, and toured twice for the British Lions in 1946 and 1950. He made 463 appearances for Barrow, scoring almost 2,000 points. Stand-off Willie inspired the team to win the Lancashire Cup in 1955 and later that season, the Challenge Cup when almost 70,000 fans watched Barrow defeat Workington Town 21-12 at Wembley Stadium.
“In my opinion, Willie is the greatest rugby player of all time,” says author Mike Gardner. “All his team-mates and opponents were in awe of him. He was a genius who was loved and respected by everyone.
“I remember talking to an international loose forward from Bradford Northern, who toured with Willie in 1946, when GB won the Ashes and Willie played in all three Test matches. Ken Traill said: ‘There are good players, great players and then you have Willie Horne – he was on another planet to everyone else.’
“Willie was also a professional cricketer, with Millom, Furness, Ulverston, and Vickerstown. Every year, Lancashire would send try to sign him but rugby league always came first. He could play any sport to a very high standard. Along with his wife, Bessie, and other family members, they had a sports shop, first in Paxton Terrace and then in Cavendish Street. They gave so much to local sport and Willie would have queues of people, waiting to chat to him upstairs, where there were unlimited supplies of tea and toast.”
Willie, who died in 2001, aged 79, became a Freeman of the Borough in 1994 – he has had two streets named after him, as well as the grandstand at Craven Park and a racehorse. In 2004, a 15-foot tall bronze statue, built by sculptor Chris Kelly, was erected in his honour, overlooking Craven Park. It was the first borough statue to be erected for 113 years – Henry Schneider was the last to be honoured in 1891.
“Willie was loved by everyone,” says Mr Gardner. “He was so kind, thoughtful and generous. It was hard to believe that he was such a legendary player whose achievements were almost without comparison. Yet he was so untouched by arrogance. Willie was a one-off and there will never be another person like him – either as a player or a human being.”