Charles Hewitt, known as “Captain” because of his days as a naval skipper, took a roundabout route to Anfield. He joined Tottenham Hotspur from Middlesbrough in May 1906, although Liverpool had been widely expected to secure his signature. Hewitt only learned of Liverpool’s £400 bid after signing for Spurs and wanted to move to Anfield before he had even made an appearance for his new club. Tottenham refused to release him, however, and the Football Association ruled that he must honour his one-year contract. Hewitt duly spent the 1906/07 season with Spurs, scoring 12 goals in 43 appearances. Tottenham were then members of the Southern League, outside the Football League, which they would not join until 1908. A move between the two competitions did not necessarily extinguish a former club’s Football League registration rights, explaining why Middlesbrough could still expect a fee when Hewitt returned to Football League football. However, the Edinburgh Evening News reported “great surprise” on Teesside when it emerged that Middlesbrough had failed to return him on their transfer list. That administrative omission cost them the anticipated £400 and allowed Liverpool to secure Hewitt without paying the Teesside club a transfer fee.
Charles' older brother, Joe, was already in Liverpool’s forward line, and Charles finally realised his ambition of playing alongside him when he made his debut at Nottingham Forest on 2 September 1907. Lining up at inside-right, with Joe at centre-forward, Charles reduced Liverpool’s deficit to 2–1 in the 87th minute, although Forest added a third before the final whistle. The opening weeks brought mixed fortunes: a 4–0 defeat at Manchester United was followed by victories over Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, but Liverpool also lost a seven-goal encounter with Birmingham at home. Charles nevertheless retained his place throughout those first six matches. The outstanding occasion of his brief Liverpool career came at Goodison Park on 5 October 1907. Before a crowd of 40,000, Liverpool beat Everton 4–2 to secure their first league victory over their neighbours since the 1898/99 season. A late reshuffle moved Charles to inside-left, with Bobby Robinson partnering Goddard on the right. Charles helped create Liverpool’s equaliser when William Balmer fouled him just outside the penalty area and Alex Raisbeck scored from the resulting free-kick. With the teams level at half-time, Charles then beat Billy Scott to put Liverpool ahead. Harry Makepeace equalised for Everton, but Joe restored Liverpool’s lead before Jack Cox completed the scoring. Both brothers had therefore scored in a derby victory that ended years of frustration for Liverpool supporters. There were further productive afternoons for the brothers that autumn. Both scored in the 3–0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Anfield on 26 October, their goals recorded just a minute apart. On 9 November, Charles scored again as Liverpool overwhelmed Notts County 6–0, with Joe contributing a hat-trick. Charles also found the net in the 2–1 home defeat by Preston North End on 23 November, giving him five goals from his first 13 appearances. The brothers had both scored in three Liverpool victories during that spell: against Everton, Sheffield Wednesday and Notts County.
Yet Charles’s promising start did not develop into a lasting place in the side. After featuring in 13 of Liverpool’s opening 14 league matches, he lost his regular position, with Bobby Robinson preferred. His appearance against Preston proved his last until February, and only three further outings followed. He returned for the defeat at Sunderland on 8 February, scored his sixth and final Liverpool goal in the 3–1 loss at Bury on 28 March, and made his last appearance against his former club Middlesbrough at Anfield on 18 April. Having fought so hard for the opportunity to join Liverpool, Hewitt departed for West Bromwich Albion on 24 April 1908, less than a year after arriving. His six goals included a debut strike and a memorable contribution to victory at Goodison, but he never secured a permanent foothold in Watson’s team. Looking back in 1910, the Football Express concluded that Charles “never really fell into the ‘Reds’ style.”
Hewitt’s later career in management proved more enduring than his brief stay at Anfield. Appointed Chester’s manager in 1930, he helped the club towards Football League membership, which was achieved through election on 1 June 1931, replacing Nelson. Chester subsequently established themselves in the Third Division North, never finishing outside the top ten during the remainder of the decade. His greatest managerial achievements came with Millwall. He guided the Lions to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1937 and secured promotion from the Third Division South the following year. His first spell ended during the Second World War, but he returned as manager in 1948. His second tenure brought less success, and he was dismissed in 1956 after failing to take Millwall back out of the Third Division South.
There was also a remarkable distinction beyond football. By the time Charles arrived at Liverpool in 1907, Hewitt seemed to be a bona fide guardian angel as he had been awarded The Royal Humane Society's medals for saving lives, eleven in total!
