Date of Birth
18 Jul 1905
Birthplace
Wolverhampton
Nationality
English
Signed for LFC
1936
LFC Debut
18 Jan 1936
LFC Appearances
4
Harthill was nicknamed "Artillery Billy" after his stint as bombardier in the Royal Horse Artillery and his awesome shooting power equally good with both feet.
He was a sensational goalscorer for Wolves, scoring 170 goals in 234 games, grabbing 16 hat-tricks and was at the time Wolves' all-time leading scorer, but now third in the list behind J.P. Richards and Steve Bull.
He scored 30 out of Wolves' 115 goals on their way to the Second Division title in 1932. Promoted Wolves struggled in the First Division, finishing 20th out of 22 teams, but Billy continued scoring regularly, scoring two consecutive hat-tricks and four against Huddersfield.
Wolves finished 15th and 17th in the First Division the next two seasons, with Billy adding 46 goals to his Wolves tally. In July 1935, 30-year-old Billy joined Everton, which were higher up in the League, but never settled there and joined Liverpool six months later.
Billy's brief Liverpool career was condensed into four games between January 18 and February 22, 1936.
A forward player, his introduction into the team coincided with a terrible goal drought in which only two goals were scored in seven matches, both by Jackie Balmer. But Billy disappeared almost as quickly as he had arrived and never played for the club again.
He was part of the deal that brought future legend Phil Taylor to the Reds from Third Division Bristol Rovers in March 1936. Billy scored 19 goals in 36 games for Rovers before leaving the club in 1937, playing for amateur side Street FC until his retirement in 1940.
Other clubs:
Wolves, Everton, Bristol Rovers, Street FC (amateur)