London and football during the Second World war

[editor]

Fascinating article here :

Waiting until enemy aircraft were clearly visible, to halt the match
Between the semi-finals and the final, the Dunkirk evacuation occurred. In fact the Cup Final crowd was swelled by soldiers returning from that pivotal operation. It’s hard to imagine experiencing the terror of Dunkirk, followed a few days later by a Wembley Final. It’s no wonder that story hasn’t made it into the war film canon. Who would believe it?

Matches would be halted when the air raid siren went off and restarted after the all clear. Some clubs employed their own ‘spotters’ so they could carry on playing after the siren went off until enemy aircraft were clearly visible. After all, why mess up a perfectly good football match when there’s only a fairly small chance of imminent mass death?

Some things haven't changed, mind

When Londoners Risked Their Lives To Watch Football During Air Raids

Just a small chance of imminent mass death, then?

londonist.com

 

[BCBlues]

1944 and 1945 Football League South Cup finals | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club

www.chelseafc.com

Chelsea Millwall would probably have been more scary in the 70s

 

[Pickman's model]

Arsenal and spurs played at whl

The Arsenal History

The Arsenal History This part of the website is dedicated to stories, facts and figures about Arsenal FC dating back to the very beginning of the club’s existence Blog Our very randomly updat…

www.thearsenalhistory.com

 

[Argonia]

I thought that all games were suspended during the conflict.