Peter Harris medal target reached

Pompey legend Peter Harris’s two championship medals from 1949 and 1950 are now in the Pompey History Society’s archive after its 15-month campaign to raise £25,000 to buy them before the centenary of his birth on December 19 came to a successful conclusion.

Executive Chair of the charity Mick Comben was in the club Boardroom ahead of the game with Blackburn to add the two medals to the club’s trophy cabinet, where they will remain in the short-term ahead of a planned public display of the medals in the spring.

The £25,000 target was reached on Thursday at a fundraising ‘Evening with Barry Harris’ event, where the former Pompey mascot and assistant kit manager told members of his near 80-year association with the club, in conversation with Gary Tipp, who edited Barry’s recently-published autobiography True Blue.

The event itself raised just over £400 which, along with a £200 bid for the portrait of Peter Harris, painted by fan Bob Read, took the fund over the line. Read was there to present the picture to the winning bidder David Horne. The Glass & Mirror Centre in Kingston Road has also kindly offered to frame the picture.

Society Chair of Trustees, Colin Farmery, who led the campaign, said: “We are all really thrilled to have reached this target and it has been a real team effort as people came up with fundraising ideas. Bob’s portrait was a great example of the enthusiasm the project engendered.

“We received getting on for £20,000 in donations from fans – many of whom either remembered Peter as a player or remember a family member telling them what a great player he was.

“He was Portsmouth-born, played for England and won two title medals with his home-town club. It doesn’t come more significant than that in so many respects.”

And Colin revealed the medals would be put on public display in the new year.

“We are working with the Portsmouth Museum & Art Gallery to put the medals on display there in the spring. It is an exciting project, which we plan to share more details of in January,” he added.

Watch the Pompey+ clip showing the medals

Pompey legend Peter Harris’s two championship medals from 1949 and 1950 are now in the Pompey History Society’s archive after its 15-month campaign to raise £25,000 to buy them before the centenary of his birth on December 19 came to a successful conclusion.

Executive Chair of the charity Mick Comben was in the club Boardroom ahead of the game with Blackburn to add the two medals to the club’s trophy cabinet, where they will remain in the short-term ahead of a planned public display of the medals in the spring.

The £25,000 target was reached on Thursday at a fundraising ‘Evening with Barry Harris’ event, where the former Pompey mascot and assistant kit manager told members of his near 80-year association with the club, in conversation with Gary Tipp, who edited Barry’s recently-published autobiography True Blue.

The event itself raised just over £400 which, along with a £200 bid for the portrait of Peter Harris, painted by fan Bob Read, took the fund over the line. Read was there to present the picture to the winning bidder David Horne. The Glass & Mirror Centre in Kingston Road has also kindly offered to frame the picture.

Society Chair of Trustees, Colin Farmery, who led the campaign, said: “We are all really thrilled to have reached this target and it has been a real team effort as people came up with fundraising ideas. Bob’s portrait was a great example of the enthusiasm the project engendered.

“We received getting on for £20,000 in donations from fans – many of whom either remembered Peter as a player or remember a family member telling them what a great player he was.

“He was Portsmouth-born, played for England and won two title medals with his home-town club. It doesn’t come more significant than that in so many respects.”

And Colin revealed the medals would be put on public display in the new year.

“We are working with the Portsmouth Museum & Art Gallery to put the medals on display there in the spring. It is an exciting project, which we plan to share more details of in January,” he added.

PHS trustees Martin Price (left) and Matt Barker (right) with PHS Executive Chair Mick Comben (second left) and Pompey CEO Andy Cullen with the two Peter Harris medals in front of the club’s trophy cabinet in the morning.