GoS: Player Details

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Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

The site owes its existence to Steve Dean. Without Steve's dedication and commitment for over 25 years, GoS would not exist and be the valued and loved resource for all football fans that it is today. The site is truly the envy of many clubs, and we owe a huge debt to Steve for his tireless work, and continued support behind the scenes.

Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

Greens on Screen is an amateur website and proud of it. It is run by a team of volunteers from the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive (Argyle Archive). Without the hard work and much-valued contributions of these volunteers, running the site would not be possible. Greens on Screen is self-taught and as a result, a little bit quirky.

Greens on Screen remains advertisement free, which means we are grateful for the generous support of our donors and the work of our volunteers to help keep it free of promotions. If you would like to support the work of Greens on Screen, please consider donating to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.

GoS's sole aim is to be a service to fellow supporters, and we look forward to continuing to celebrate Argyle's history for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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BERTIE BOWLER

Born: 13 March 1891

1. Came from: Army Went to: Career interrupted by WW1

1. First game: 13 December 1911 Last game: 24 April 1915

2. Came from: Career interrupted by WW1 Went to: Retired

2. First game: 27 September 1919 Last game: 27 January 1923

Appearances: 188 (188/0) Goals: 67

Bowler was born in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. He was playing for the Army Cup-winning Sherwood Foresters when he was spotted by Bob Jack and, after obtaining his discharge from the Army, signed for Argyle in December 1911.

He quickly developed into a top-class inside-left who could also play at centre-forward when required. During the 1912-13 campaign, he scored 18 goals in 36 appearances, making a major contribution to the side that won the Southern League title.

Bowler also represented the Southern League on five occasions, including an international trial match against the Football League in 1913. During the First World War, he also represented England in an unofficial international against Scotland in Cairo.

Renowned for his outstanding ball skills, the 1913-14 Argyle handbook described him as: "Strong, clever, fast and dashing. He inspires the forward line with his keenness, and his shooting and headwork are invaluable." He spent eight seasons with Argyle either side of the First World War, during which he served as a Private in the Far East, before retiring in 1923.

In total, Bowler made 188 appearances for Argyle and scored a highly creditable 67 goals across two spells of four seasons, divided by the war.

Remaining in Plymouth after his playing career, the 1939 General Register recorded him as licensee of The Chimes Tavern on Catherine Street, a public house that eventually closed in 1957. By the late 1950s, he was running the Admiral MacBride on the Barbican.

Bertie remained in his adopted city into retirement and passed away in Plymouth in March 1966 at the age of 74. He was laid to rest at Weston Mill Cemetery.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

We are very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree and the PAFC Media Team for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.

Greens on Screen is run as a service to fellow supporters, in all good faith, without commercial or private gain. We have no wish to abuse copyright regulations and apologise unreservedly if this occurs. If you own any of the material on this site, and object to its inclusion, please get in touch using the 'Contact Us' button at the top of the page.