Dirk Kemp

Born in Cape Town, Dirk Kemp played for Arcadia and Transvaal before joining Liverpool in December 1936, aged 23. His arrival continued the club’s recruitment of South African footballers and brought him into competition with his experienced countryman Arthur Riley. The Hull Daily Mail reported that Liverpool signed Kemp upon his arrival at Southampton from Cape Town, while a contemporary Liverpool Echo listing put his height at 6ft 1in. He faced a considerable challenge in establishing himself at Anfield, where Riley and Alf Hobson were already competing for the goalkeeper’s position. Hobson began the 1936/37 season as first choice before Riley replaced him towards the end of January. Kemp’s opportunity came on 27 March 1937, when he made his debut against Manchester United at Anfield. He kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory, with Alf Hanson and Fred Howe scoring before 25,319 spectators. Selected for Liverpool’s final seven league matches, Kemp had secured a place in the senior side within four months of arriving in England.

Kemp retained the position at the beginning of the following season, playing in 13 of Liverpool’s first 14 league fixtures in 1937/38. However, that early run proved to be the extent of his first-team involvement that campaign, as Riley regained his place. Kemp returned for seven league matches and three FA Cup ties in 1938/39, taking his recognised competitive total to 30 appearances, with five clean sheets. His final appearance in those official records came in Liverpool’s 4–1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the FA Cup on 11 February 1939.

There was nevertheless another opportunity before war interrupted his career. Kemp was in goal at the beginning of the 1939/40 season, appearing against Sheffield United and being selected again for Middlesbrough’s visit to Anfield. He also kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory over Chelsea on 2 September, the day before Britain declared war on Germany. Those fixtures were subsequently expunged from Football League records and therefore do not count towards his official appearance total. The interruption came just as Kemp had regained the goalkeeper’s jersey. Kemp was among the Liverpool professionals called up for Territorial Army service in August 1939, but continued playing when circumstances allowed. A Liverpool Daily Post report of a 5–0 victory at Chester that September singled out his goalkeeping, crediting him with several saves that prevented the home side from scoring. During the war he also guested for other clubs; in January 1944, the Liverpool Echo reported that he, Phil Taylor, Harry Eastham and Jimmy McInnes were to play for Belfast Distillery.

Kemp made ten recorded wartime appearances for Liverpool, the last two in 1945/46, but never resumed his Football League career at Anfield. By April 1946 he had returned to South Africa, where he was granted permission to regain amateur status. The Liverpool Echo reported that he was expected to join a South African team touring Australia, although that report alone doesn't establish that he eventually took part. His Liverpool career had offered several promising openings, but competition for his position and the loss of six years of normal League football restricted his opportunities.