Townrow was born in West Ham, now part of London, and attended Pelly Memorial School in the borough.
[3] He won two caps for England's schoolboy team,[4] one of which came against Wales in 1915.
[3] He began his professional football career at the end of the First World War with Second Division club Clapton Orient.
[4] In April 1925 he won the first of his two international caps for England, in a 2–0 defeat to Scotland at Hampden Park.
[5] Townrow is one of only two men capped by England at senior level while an Orient player, the other being Owen Williams.