Jamie Baker’s Beautiful Last Day

On 21 September 1986, a somewhat depleted Everton side hosted Manchester United for a First Division clash. The Sunday afternoon match was being broadcast live on national TV — a relative novelty at that point in time (how things have changed).

I was seated in the main stand, almost level with the Park End 18-yard line. It was towards that end that the Blues kicked in the first period. I vividly remember Graeme Sharp’s superb headed opener from a Paul Power run and cross. Bryan Robson, the butt of some humorous jibes from the terraces, had got the Red Devils back in contention, but a rare right-footed strike from Kevin Sheedy restored the lead. Late on, a deft diving Adrian Heath header past Gary Bailey from a Kevin Langley cross capped a sterling performance by the Toffees.

Although, I confess to having paid little attention at the time, the Blues mascots on the pitch before kick-off, proudly decked out in the new Umbro Everton kit, were nine-year-old twins Brenda and Jamie Baker. Jamie, a passionate young Evertonian, had been living with Leukaemia (a form of blood cancer that affects blood cells in bone marrow) since approximately the age of seven or eight. Spookily, there was a female pair of twins in the same school and one of them received the same diagnosis. Sadly, she would lose her battle with the disease. Jamie was treated in Alder Hey Hospital. His sister Brenda recalls: ‘They were amazing there. I recall he spent a Christmas there and Santa came with gifts for us all.’

When Howard Kendall was made aware of Jamie’s condition by his mother, Joyce, he welcomed them at Bellefield on a couple of occasions and Jamie got to meet many of his sporting heroes. Conscious of the life-limiting nature of his disease, and the prognosis given by doctors, plans for him to be matchday mascot, alongside his sister, were accelerated. Joyce screamed with joy when she opened the letter bearing the news that the twins received the news that they’d been selected to do the honours at the United match.

The pair visited the training ground in the run up to the match and were photographed with some of the players. A few days beforehand, the twins were interviewed by Radio Merseyside about their big day, as well as giving a surprisingly mature critique of Everton’s situation since the departure of Gary Lineker. Jamie said he was most looking forward to walking out onto the pitch and waving to the crowd. Brenda, meanwhile, couldn’t resist a dig at Liverpool FC, claiming that they ‘gone down the dumps’ and were inferior to the Toffeemen. Predicting the scoreline, Jamie went for 5-1 to the Toffees. His sister, with remarkable foresight, plumped for a 3-1 home win, with her hero, Adrian Heath, getting on the scoresheet.

The staff on Ward D3 at Alder Hey pulled out the stops to ensure that Jamie was fit for the big day. Pre-match they were shown the trophy room and had a photograph taken with ‘Inchy’ Heath. Then, as kick-off approached, the twins, resplendent in their new Everton kits and watched by their proud mother, got to shake hands with the captains of England and Wales on the centre spot, before watching the match from the Main Stand. As he went to bed that evening, an exhausted yet elated Jamie could reflect on a perfect day at Goodison Park. Tragically, he couldn't be woken by his father, Ken, the next morning, having died in his sleep.

Hearing the devastating news, striker Graeme Sharp said: ‘I am glad we helped to make his day. He was a smashing little lad. He had obviously gone through a lot, but he clearly enjoyed his visit. He was looking up to the players in awe. It was very sad for us because we knew what was wrong with him.’

Howard Kendall reflected that the special day at Goodison might bring a glimmer of happiness for the family, in time: ‘For him to have been mascot on Match of the Day means there is a permanent record of a day he enjoyed so much. We sincerely hope that the video brings them a bit of joy in the future.’

Due to match commitments, Kendall, Colin Harvey and the first team players fit for selection could not attend the funeral service, attended by 100 mourners at Thornton Crematorium on 26 September. The Blues’ reserve team coach Terry Darracott was one of the pall bearers, along with Ralph Williams, the club’s promotions manager, Derek Wallbank (who looked after mascots on matchdays) and Ray Spriggs, representing the stewards. Brenda wore the Everton kit presented to her for her mascot duties the previous weekend.

The injured England and Everton midfield duo Paul Bracewell and Peter Reid were visibly moved when listening to the tribute led by Rev. Sykes, who said: Jamie touched the nation's heart for a short while in a special way that is only given to a few people. His death will be shared in a similar way. He was a brave young boy, struggling against crippling illness but he bore his suffering with remarkable bravery for one so young.’

Jamie’s favourite song, Dire Straits’ Walk of Life was played, and the mourners exited the chapel to the strains of Here We Go, Everton’s 1985 chart hit. Walk of Life would get played at the next home match as a tribute from the Toffees; it was also played in his honour on Radio Merseyside.

The media coverage of the passing of this brave boy led to an outpouring of sympathy. Cards by the sackful and many bouquets of flowers arrived at the Baker home on Oxford Road, Waterloo. The show of support, according to Joyce, ‘gave the family a tremendous lift.’

There was a raft of fundraising efforts for Alder Hey hospital, inspired by Jamie. A Merseyside vs Manchester match, organised by the Liverpool Echo and the Football Supporters' Association was staged at Marine’s ground in Crosby, raising close to £1,500. Brenda acted as mascot, alongside Kelly, a young girl decked out in Manchester United kit. Everton donated £1,000 of gate receipts from their Charity Shield match, a figure matched by a whip-round by the Blues’ players. Echo readers were also generous, one anonymous donor handing over £100 at the reception desk. The Everton Supporters' Club on City Road held a ‘Jamie Baker Charity Cabaret Show’

Teams competing for the Echo's annual seven-a-side charity cup at Flinders Street in Kirkdale raised £300 for the Alder Hey fund. There was also a walk that took place in Sefton Park, organised in conjunction with a newspaper. It was called 'Walk of Life' after the aforementioned Dire Straits song.

The various donations went towards a new ward at Alder Hey for children living with various forms of cancer. Thus, out of the tragedy of Jamie’s death came some good.

Jamie’s mother devoted many years to working at the Cancer Research UK shop in Formby. Brenda (now commonly known as Bren) considers that special last day with her brother to be her most precious memory. This year, she marked the anniversary of Jamie’s passing by visiting Goodison Park with her son.

Please support the fight against Leukaemia by visiting www.leukaemiauk.org.uk and https://bloodcancer.org.uk. You can also follow Blues Against Blood Cancer on X/Twitter or on Facebook, an account run by Evertonians hoping to educate and inform fans about the need for more people to register as stem cell donors.

To support the Alder Hey Charity, visit: www.alderheycharity.org

Acknowledgments

My sincere thanks to Brenda Newsham for sharing her personal memories, the radio interview clip and images. Thanks to Paul Tran for putting us in touch.

The radio interview was originally broadcast by BBC Radio Merseyside in 1986.

Further reading:

Jamie Baker, the Evertonian Warrior, by EFC Statto:

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