Medals earned from the 1950s, 60s and 70s earned by Rangers legend Harold Davis are heading up for auction in Glasgow this week.
Known for his proficiency on the pitch and his courage off it, Davis' professional career peaked with his appearance in the 1961 European Cup Winners Cup Final.
Born in Cupar, Fife, in 1933, Harold Davis' football career commenced with a brief stint with the local Newburgh F.C., before moving to East Fife, where he was managed by Scot Symon, a relationship reprised at Rangers later in their respective careers.
In 1951, Davis began his national service, joining the Black Watch at Perth and enlisting for the Korean War. Catastrophically wounded in action two years later, he would undergo an extensive programme of operations to counteract the two gunshots he'd taken to the stomach.
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Returning to health after an extended period of convalescence, Davis remarked that a lot of the other patients were older, "content to simply get fit enough to live".
His spirit caught the attention of his physiotherapist, former Rangers player David Kinnear, who recommended him to Symon, now at Ibrox.
Joining Rangers in 1956, Davis would appear 261 times for the club, soon developing a reputation for his quick, hard style of play, founded upon that commitment to "extra-special" fitness.
His peak arguably came with his appearance in the European Cup Winner's Cup Final of 1961. Leaving Rangers in 1964, he spent a season with Partick Thistle before his retirement from the game.
There followed many years in coaching and management roles, with Queen's Park, Queen of the South and Dundee, as well as a period back with Rangers. In 1975, Davis moved with his family to Gairloch in Wester Ross, where he opened the Craigmore Hotel. Much involved community life, he would remain there until his death in June of 2018. He was 85.
The medals up for auction include Davis' his Glasgow Charity Cup Winner's medal from 1956-57, his Scottish Football League Winner’s medals from 1960-61 and 1973-74, a 1961 European Cup Finalist’s medal and a 1962-63 Scottish Football League Championship First Division medal.
Tommy Alexander, Valuer Medals & Militaria at Great Western Auctions, which is hosting the auction, said it is "rare indeed for such a significant group of medals to be offered on the auction market".
The medals, with an estimate of £10,000-15,000, will be offered together with an archive of material relating to Davis’ career.
The archive includes a Rangers Football Club Hall of Fame torso trophy set upon a slate base, with an accompanying photograph of Davis holding the trophy following its presentation in 2004 and a boxed Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old presentation set; a 1975 club tie and assorted photographs, including posed team portraits.
Proceeds from the sale will be used to establish a charitable trust in memory of Harold Davis and his wife Violet, which will benefit young people in Wester Ross, where the couple lived for their latter 40 years.
The medals are included in Great Western Auctions' Summer Two Day Fine Art & Antiques Auction on June 14 and 15 in Glasgow.
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