Hi, I’m Jeff Mellor
As you might have already guessed, I’m one of Jack’s sons and thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown, from March 2020 onwards I have found myself with plenty of extra time on my hands. To fill it, I decided to have a proper look through an old suitcase of my Dad’s, which I found when clearing out his house after he passed away. I have peeked in it more than once in the 26 years since he left us, but I suppose I was always too busy living my own life to be interested in his.
My wife passed away in June 2017, and so with no one else to while away the days with, and with nothing better to do with my time, I sat down and started to delve. The suitcase contained over 450 newspaper clippings; some 20 photos, and plenty of bits and pieces of memorabilia from his playing days as a snooker and billiards player. Dad had written dates on most of the newspaper clippings, so over the coming weeks and months I was able to put them into chronological order. Whilst doing this I also read them, highlighted the lines that mentioned him and quickly came to a conclusion. My Dad wasn’t just a “star” to me – he was a true “star” of his time, and I felt I had to do something about it.
The oldest newspaper clipping I found was from 1938, an impressive 82 years old, and though most were still in good condition I felt I should do something to preserve them. Dad had cut/torn them out of the newspapers, so they were understandably a bit rough around the edges. I tidied them up a bit before placing them in clear sleeves and storing them in A4 binders, of which I now have four. Once that was done, I proceeded to write a chronicle/diary of his playing days, using primarily these newspaper clippings as my source of information. I did this on my laptop but as I went on I knew I had to do more than just keep it for myself – I had to put it in the public domain. And, to cut a long story short, here we are.
As you are reading this, I can only assume you are interested in the game of snooker and billiards and so I hope you find the story of Jack Mellor as interesting as I did – and still do.
I would be very keen to hear from anyone who might have known my Dad or is related to any of the players he played with (or against) as mentioned in the pages that follow. In fact I would be glad to hear from anyone who reads this, so please do not hesitate to use the contact page and message me.
Jack Mellor 