Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
since 1878
Town at War
Part 2: Town in Uniform
Of all the players, officials and staff at the club prior to the outbreak of war just a single life was lost. But what a huge loss to the club it was - that of Captain 'Ivan' Cobbold, who had been Chairman of the club since 1936. Captain 'Ivan', as he continued to be known despite promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel during the hostilities, had rejoined the Welsh Guards in 1939. He lost his life five years later - in June, 1944 - when a German 'doodlebug' hit his regiment's chapel in London while he was attending a service there. He had led the club into professionalism; persuaded A. Scott Duncan to leave Manchester United and join Ipswich as manager and devoted a significant amount of his time in promoting the club's claim for election to the Football League. It was also he that set the style for non-interference with the work of the manager, a style which the various Chairman and Directors of Town have followed to this day.
Players and Staff who served their country
Lieutenant-Colonel John 'Ivan' Murray (Chairman) - Killed in London during a German air raid. The Christchurch Park War Memorial in Ipswich (above) carries Captain 'Ivan's name.
Fred Chadwick (Centre Forward): Captured by the Japanese at Singapore.
Hughie Knight (Office Staff): Captured by the Japanese at Singapore.
Mick Burns (Goalkeeper): Lance-Bombardier in the Army. Burns made 171 career appearances for Town between 1938 and 1952.
George Perrett (Half Back): Served in the Army. Perrett made 206 career appearances for Town between 1936 and 1949, scoring 19 times.
Bryn Davies (Inside Forward): Served in the Army. Davies made 36 appearances for Ipswich before the war, scoring 9 times.
Tom Fillingham (Centre Half): Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant in the Army. Fillingham had made 32 appearances for Town before the war, scoring once.
Billy Dale (Full Back): Served in the Army. Dale had made 44 appearances for Town before the war.
Mat Fitzsimons (Full Back): Served with the Guards winning the Military Medal. Fitzsimons made a single guest appearance for Ipswich after the war.
Charlie Cowie (Centre Half): Served in the Army. Cowie made 52 appearances for Town before the war, scoring twice.
Tom Brown (Goalkeeper): A commando in the Army. Born in Troon, the Scot went on to make 116 first team appearances for the Blue's between 1946 and 1951.
Ambrose Mulraney (Forward): Flight-Sergeant in the RAF. Before the war Mulraney had become the first Town player to score a hat trick in a Football League match in the 4-0 home victory over Bristol City on April 8th, 1939. In fact all his 22 goals and 66 first team appearances for Town were made before the outbreak of hostilities.
Jackie Little (Foward): Sergeant in the RAF. Made 200 appearances for Ipswich between 1936 and 1950, scoring on 37 occasions. Signed by Captain Ivan Cobbold during the club's amateur days he was the last player from that era to leave the club when he joined Stowmarket Town as manager/coach at the end of the 1949-50 season.
Ossie Parry (Full Back): Leading Aircraft Man in the RAF. Made 188 appearances in Blue and White between 1936 and 1949.
Jimmy Wardlaw (Wing Half): Served in the RAF. Made three appearances for Town (all in the FA Cup) in the 1945-46 season.
George Price (Centre Foward): Served in the Royal Navy. Price made 4 appearances for Town after the war, scoring twice.
Jack Connor (Centre Forward): Served in the RAF. Netted four times in twelve post-war appearances for Ipswich.
Bob Smythe (Utility Player): Served in the Army. Made four post-war appearances for the Town.
On the non-playing side Fred Blake (Groundsman) and Don Read (Assistant Groundsman) served in the Army and RAF respectively.
The home programme from the Colchester game on September 17th, 1945 also mentions a Harold O'Leary and a Harold Rasmussen, as serving in the Army, but we have no further details of these two players.
The majority of guest players listed in part 3 also served in the armed forces.
Read part one here.
Credits
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)