Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
since 1878
Evening Star & Daily Herald, Friday May 12, 1911
IPSWICH FOOTBALLERS IN BOHEMIA
THEIR STAY IN PRAGUE
Although other Suffolk clubs have undertaken trips across to the Continent, it has been left to Ipswich to organise a tour into Central Europe. It was an eventful one in more ways that one. The Ipswich players set out upon their two days’ journey into Bohemia a week ago, crossing by the G.E.R. Company’s latest turbine steamer St. Petersburg, from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. A rather dirty night – it was both wet and windy – occasioned no little uneasiness when the travellers stepped aboard the steam at Parkeston Quay. However, although the sea was [decidedly] rough, little or no discomfort was experienced and in such a well-appointed and luxuriously fitted steamer as the St. Petersburg the crossing was not attended with those consequences which were in contemplation by not a few of the party, who, all told, numbered fourteen. At the Hook, which was reached before five o’clock, the travellers landed in wet and chilly weather, and the serving of breakfast shortly before reaching Rotterdam in the North German Express was greatly welcomed. Of course, before boarding the train in which the travellers were destined to spend the greater part of the day, the Customs officials were encountered; their casual examination of the luggage was in striking contrast to the subsequent troubles experienced on the German frontier, when the German Customs officers entered the train for what is generally a very close inspection of every bag, package, etc. Much amusement ensued, owing to the total inability of the officials to understand the Englishmen, who got through with the dutiable presents they were taking to the Bohemians. One of the team, however, had to pay duty on a useless pack of 32 Dutch playing cards, which he had no intention of keeping. However, such incidents as these, although liable to cause a little exasperation, served to relieve the monotony of a long and weary railway journey, lasting with only one break of a little more than an hour for nearly two days. Punctually to the minute Dresden, in South Germany, was reached, the party having been in the train from half-past five in the morning. The days train ride had its advantages, not withstanding that the journey had taken one through a flat and seemingly uninteresting country. Those who were observant, however, must have been struck with quite a variety of things. To begin with there were greater comforts in store than is usually the case for travellers on English railways. There is no reason to doubt, however, that the progressive management that is now associated with most English lines will sooner or later lead to the introduction of desirable changes which tend to minimise the dreary character of some of the long railway rides on the Continent. The numbering of every conceivable seat on the trains, and the notification on the compartment doors in the corridors of the vacant ones is an innovation which is worth the attention of English Railway Companies. Excepting so far as regards the G.E.R., punctuality on English lines is observed more in the breach than otherwise, and here again a pattern can be taken from the Germans, whose long-distance trains are run to time in quite an extraordinary manner. This was clearly demonstrated throughout the tour, for without exception all trains arrived punctually to the minute.
Impressions of a first journey through such a vast country as Germany may not be without interest. What was chiefly noticeable was the manner of the intense cultivation of the soil. From the Dutch frontier to Hanover and thence onto Dresden via Magdeburg, practically every square yard of land was arable, and it was most strange after passing through Holland, where cows were on the pastures in their thousands, that no dairy or grazing cattle were seen. Then farm horses were not very plentiful. As in Bohemia most of the farm workers were women, and in the groups of a dozen or so who were either hoeing or raking, not more than one or two men at most were with them. Another indication of the manner in which every inch of land is utilised was the planting of fruit trees by the roadside – also as in Bohemia. At Hanover, where a short stay was necessary, and at Dresden, where the party spent their first night on the Continent, evidence of business prosperity was very apparent, and during circular tram rides taken with a view of surveying all that was possible, these first impressions were abundantly confirmed. In every direction new building were springing up on the outskirts of the cities and towns, and what, too, was often remarked upon was the fact that numerous factories were of comparatively recent origin. The laying out of the towns and the general appearance of everything and everybody showed that neatness and smartness were of first consideration. Altogether the impression of the necessarily hurried run through Germany inclined one of the belief that it was a country rapidly progressing, no doubt, owing to the thoroughness with which business is conducted. In view of two instances which can be cited, there can be no doubt that the absence of proper business methods and the independence of the British manufacturer in a great measure retard further expansion of British trade. Two cases occurred in Prague only just last week in which English manufacturers could have executed two Bohemian orders, but they preferred to carry on business one old lines and so allowed the Germans to have them. One Prague citizen who insisted upon having Sheffield cutlery of a certain pattern was reluctantly compelled to place his order in Germany because of the refusal of the maker to supply other than standard patterns. Another order went to Germany because a firm in that country obliged the Bohemian customer by giving a quotation in the metric system, whereas the English firm declined to do it.
After the uneventful ride of hundreds of miles of flat country in North Germany, the run from Dresden into Bohemia, first by the banks of the Elbe and later by the side of the River Vlta va, the scenery was charming in the extreme. Running into Prague station, late in the afternoon, the Ipswich visitors, whose coming had been heralded in more than one paper on every day during the week, received a most cordial reception, many of the six hundred members of the Slavia Club, headed by Mr. Raym, being on the platform. From the time the players and their friends set foot in the Victoria Hotel until the time of their departure that gentleman and the others already mentioned were ever at the visitors’ service, and the pleasure of the stay at Prague was greatly enhanced by their kindness in this and other directions. Unfortunately, the greater part of Saturday and Sunday were wet, rain falling heavily both days. But for this more extensive excursions in and around Prague – a city with a population of 600,000 people – would have been undertaken. Being such an old city, Prague naturally offered endless opportunities for viewing many ancient relics. Of old buildings, bridges, and statues there were enough to occupy one for weeks, but chief attention was directed to the more striking characteristics of the city in this particular. The 14th century bridge of Charles IV, which leads to that part of the city known as the Venice of Prague, is still in an excellent state of preservation, as was the case with most of the old buildings, some of which, however, to the deep regret of the citizens of Prague, are giving place to modern structures. The chief incident of the whole tour concerned the visit to the ancient Town Hall on Sunday morning, where the party were to have been received by the Lord Mayor (Dr. Karel Gros). Unfortunately he was obliged to officiate at a reception given to the representatives of the Bosnia and Hersegovina Chambers of Commerce. However, the Deputy Mayor received the English visitors, and accorded them in the manner of the Lord Mayor, a very warm welcome, his remarks being interpreted by Dr. A. Sum, the Town Clerk. That gentlemen said the Deputy-Mayor was delighted to think the members of the Ipswich Town team and their friends had come to the metropolis of Bohemia the most beautiful city in Europe. Furthermore he hoped that all would carry home with them many pleasant recollections of their stay, and that their visit would bring no disappointments. Finally, in bidding his visitors adieu, the Deputy-Mayor, on behalf of the Lord Mayor, gave each member of the party a handsomely bound guide to the Royal City of Prague, accompanying which was a larger and valuable book of engravings of the chief objects of interest in the city. The unexpected greeting and the most acceptable gifts were acknowledged by Mr. W. Garnham, the captain of the Ipswich team, in very happily worded remarks. He took the opportunity of testifying to the warmth of the reception that had been given them by the inhabitants of Prague. Following a further expression of gratitude from Mr. Tilbrook, the party spent under the guidance of Dr. Sum a pleasant and most instructive hour in the Town Hall, which is so rich in objects of antiquarian interest. Quite a considerable time was spent in the Common Council Hall, where were two valuable paintings which are very highly prized by the citizens of Prague; one depicted Jan Hus, a disciple of Wycliffe, being denounced by a Roman Catholic Bishop, and the other was a painting of George of Podebrad, the only Protestant King of Bohemia, who, as the Prague people then present triumphantly asserted, was a very popular monarch. The beauty of the paintings lay in the truly life-like expressions on the faces of the chief characters. Another very striking work of art was the piece of sculpture representing Good King Wenceslaus, one of the two patron saints of Bohemia, in whose memory mass is said once a year on his day in September. Dr. Sum was most interested to learn from one of the party that a carol was always sung in his memory at Christmas in England. Sunday morning was profitably spent in an inspection of the castle of the former Kings of Bohemia, with its thousand rooms, and which, save for two or three weeks in the year, is tenantless. True Bohemians are still looking forward to the time when the Kingdom will again be established, and a King will yet reign from the Castle which overlooks the ancient city. Almost within the Castle grounds is the Cathedral, on which money has been lavished both inside and out, and here again bronzes, carvings, and tombs, including that constructed entirely of silver in which are the remains of another patron saint, were of great interest, and fully repaid the climb up the hill in the wet.
The return journey from Prague to England was through Bavaria, and then via Cologne, and Brussels, where the majority sojourned on Wednesday. At Wurtzberg, in the middle of the night, the party were unceremoniously disturbed and hustled out of a specially reserved carriage into another without the slightest warning. Being resigned to a night in the train the hurried departure ended in boots, etc., being left behind. A commentary on the two matches will be given to-morrow.