John Hewie

Who is John Hewie?

John Davison Hewie is a former Scottish international footballer who spent most of his career with Charlton Athletic.

Hewie was born in Pretoria, South Africa, to Scottish ex-pat parents and lived there for the first 21 years of his life. He developed a keen interest in sport while at school, notably tennis and hockey . Football however was his primary pastime and he honed his skills first with his employer's works team then local sides Arcadia and Johannesburg.

In October 1949 the opportunity arose for Hewie to turn professional with English side Charlton Athletic, who had already imported several other South African-based players. He would spend the next 19 years in south-east London, making over 500 appearances for the Addicks and playing in almost every position, including four times as a goalkeeper, when regular custodian Mick Rose was injured.

In 1956 he made his debut for the Scottish national side, playing in a 1-1 draw against England at Hampden Park. His first appearance in a Scotland shirt occurred three years earlier when he was selected for a Scotland B game in Edinburgh. Remarkably, this was the first occasion Hewie had set foot in Scotland.