Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
since 1878
Town at War
Part 1: Victory Celebrations
WHEN the Second World War came to an end the game in this country faced enormous problems. Many players - including a fare share from Ipswich as we shall see - were still with the armed forces, many grounds were bomb-damaged and the rationing of petrol severely restricted public and private transportation alike. To reduce costs the Football League was divided into regional sections (the blues managed by A. Scott Duncan competing in the Third Division South (North)), promotion and relegation were suspended and the FA Cup was played on a two-legged home and away basis. Despite this fragmented format spectators flocked back to games in their thousands with an incredible 85,000 attending the FA Cup tie between Bolton and Stoke (33 sadly dieing in an ensuing crush at Burnden Park).
At Portman Road on September 17th, 1945 a far more modest crowd of 8,420 watched a "Victory Day" friendly against Colchester United, then playing in the Southern League, a contest that formed part of the town's official end of war celebrations (WWII finally coming to an end with the formal surrender by the Japanese on September 2nd). The East Anglian Daily Times carried the following headlines on the day of the game "Japanese Sign Surrender of Hong Kong" and "Union Jack Will Fly Over Tokyo Today" and the sobering "Belsen Horror Camp Trial Begun" in the following days edition that carried a report of the match.
A "keen game played in summery weather", the EADT reported, saw goalkeeper Reg Saphin injured during the second half. This was well before the introduction of substitutes and given the circumstances the U's secretary-manager Syd Fieldus agreed to Ipswich using a replacement player. On came forward Ian Gillespie while full back Dave Bell donned the 'keepers top. The generosity of the visitors from Essex had started in the first period when they conceded an own goal on 20 minutes. Parity was restored when Hornby equalised for the U's on 36, while Town clinched a 2-1 win late into the second half with an 83rd minute strike from George Price.
The notes in the match programme on the day were given over almost entirely to news of Town players still serving their country. In some cases - especially centre-forward Fred Chadwick captured by the Japanese at Singapore - the club simply did not know where the players were. A little different to our current world of real-time communication devices! Also captured in action were Hughie Knight (a member of the Portman Road office staff before the outbreak of war) and Catchpole (a player new to Town who had been taken prisoner by the German's in Normandy).
Two weeks earlier the two sides had met at Layer Road in a 1-1 draw, also a friendly, and in contrast to the notes in Town's programme the U's Fieldus devoted his column to an appeal for financial support, bemoans the introduction of an entertainment tax and encourages supporters to turn out in their thousands (wives and all) to help the club in it's ambition to bring Third Division football to Colchester.
For the game against Town the U's called on a number of guest players from the town's garrison, indeed they fielded only one player from their pre-war staff in goalkeeper Light. This early evening match attracted a large crowd with the Army very much in evidence. They were treated, the EADT reports, to a "splendid entertainment of fast football played in excellent spirit". Both goals came in the second period, the U's going ahead through Day while Bob Smythe equalised for Ipswich from the penalty spot.
United achieved their ambition to play in the Football League five years later.
Credits
Many thanks to Nick Bruce for the match programme details.
The Men Who Made The Town by John Eastwood and Tony Moyse (Almeida Books 1986)
Canary Citizens: The Official History of Norwich City FC by John Eastwood and Mike Davage (Almeida Books 1986)