Alexandra Churchill - Over Land and Sea: Chelsea FC in the Great War

For John, Sam, Karen, Ken, Matt, Jamie, Sebastian, Kjell Arne, Garry, Carol, Gray, Ian, Andy, Roy, James, Matt & Family, May, Mark, Brian & Family, Lee, Paul P, Paul O, Big Steve, Tim, Little Steve, Lewis, Jan, Russ, Mark P, the mad lot behind us, Arnie, Charlie, Trevor, Pete, Liz, Dave, Mark W, Scott, Emma, Joseph, Nick, Christelle, Feisal, Tes & Regine, Shaz, Biged, Colin, Vic P, Cos, Jonny, Lesley, Andrew, Matt, Alan, Mal, Karn, Cranny, Pippa, Cliff, Tony, Celia, Cookie and dozens of others, some of them, including Kyle, Vic, Denis Leroy Bryan and Blind Gerry, sadly gone but not forgotten. Because football done right isnt just about the players, its an extended family too.

A.C.

To Diane and Adam, for accompanying me on all those trips to the Western Front.

A.H.

In memory of William Hanna, nephew of Cecil Dean, who sadly passed away before he could see the results of our research.

First, this book would not have been possible without the dedication and assistance of some fellow Chelsea fans who have assisted with our research: Jonathan Dyer, Lesley Blacklaws and Stuart Disbrey, your efforts are much appreciated. Also, the team at The History Press who have brought it to fruition: Declan Flynn, Nicola Guy, Mark Murray, Emily Locke and Chris West despite the fact that none of them are Blues fans they could not have put more into it!

Without the time and generosity given by the families of so many of the men who feature in the chapters we would have been unable to tell their stories. Huge thanks are due to the descendants and relatives of Thomas Bason, James Broadbridge, George Collison, Cecil & William Dean, William Hayes-Fisher, Sid & Herbert Jerram, Bert Palmer, Pat Ronan, Edwin Siveyer, Harry Trusler, Clifford Whitley and Bob Whiting.

At Chelsea, Ron Chopper Harris and Jonathan Thacker. Writing this book would also have been impossible without the help and encouragement of some of our fellow fans: Graham Bush, Karen Halls, Dave Johnstone (only a pound!), John Sawyer, Sam Sawyer, Peter Trenter and Mark Worrall. Also, Scott Cheshire and David Hockings, without whose meticulous work we would have had a mountain to climb.

Elsewhere we also have cause to thank the staff at both the Imperial War Museum and the British Library, Gavin at the Royal Logistics Corps Museum for his time and interest, David Barber at the FA, Tim Carder and the Brighton & Hove Albion Supporters & Historians Society, Roger Wash at Luton Town, the document supply staff at the National Archive for their patience with huge lists of demands and in particular fellow Chelsea (and in particular JT) fan Grace Delahunty who has been cleaning up after us for months. Peter Devitt at the RAF Museum, Hendon, Mike Dottridge for material relating to the Irish Guards at the beginning of the war, Peter Hart for letting us pillage his work and for being rather Yoda-like and tolerant when I annoy him with inane questions, Fawziah Husain, Diane Holmes, Nadine Landrebe, Timothy McCracken, Kevin Mason, who still doesnt understand the offside rule, Andy Pay at the very least for his help with the Rifle Brigade at Aubers Ridge and more importantly for being a true friend, Louise Provan, Paul Reed for his images and his assistance with the South Downs battalions as well as being an ever-supportive chum, David Simkin, Roger Stillman of Full Stop Photography for his assistance with our images and Alex Wood at Brechin City for his assistance on Colin Hampton. Finally, Mark Bavin, Paul Xavier Fernandes I, Nathan, the self-professed imp lord of Casterley Rock, Naz, Man of Steel, and Mike, the latter certainly not for his jokes.

In normal circumstances it would have taken years of growth and meticulous campaigning for a new team to finally reach the Football League. Not so with Chelsea. The process by which the club arrived on the football scene was rapid, described as entry by storm by one early club historian, as they flew through the required steps on their way to the highest echelons of the game. As the New Year was rung in at the beginning of 1905 the club did not even exist; nine months later Chelsea were playing in the Second Division.

Football clubs were springing up all over London at the turn of the century. High estimates put a figure of 100,000 Londoners playing for some 2,000 teams in the decade or so prior to the Great War. Despite this, top-level football in the capital developed at a slower rate than further north. During the 1900/01 season the southern limit of the First Division was Small Heath, who later became Birmingham City. The only Football League club south of them, never mind specifically London, was (Woolwich) Arsenal, midway down the second flight. Even if they were not contending for top honours, though, there were a number of clubs in the metropolis by the time Chelsea came about. Fulham were among the oldest, formed in 1879; Millwall had followed in 1885. Arsenal, the first to turn professional, had been formed in 1886, then West Ham United in 1895. Both Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace were formed in 1905 but their births that year were far less dramatic than that of Chelsea.

In 1896 Henry Augustus (Gus) Mears, of a family prominent in the building industry, had come up with the idea of turning the existing Stamford Bridge Athletic Stadium into a football ground. He had no intention of forming a club of his own; in fact his plan was to attempt to get Fulham to rent the space. He and his brother JT had no easy time of it when it came to bringing their idea to fruition. First, they had to wait for the death of the freeholder, who wasnt interested in their plan, and then the lease had to expire. In the meantime they purchased the property next door, a large market garden and finally, in 1904 took possession of Stamford Bridge itself.

Even then, Mears almost sold off the land for use as a goods yard to the Great Western Railway, but a friend of his, a financial whizz, convinced him otherwise. They went up to Glasgow to meet an architect and look at stadia in the area. By February 1905 a huge new facility was being put up next to Brompton Cemetery back in west London, terraces being built on top of piles of clay that had been excavated during the construction of the Piccadilly Line.

In order to maximise the potential of their investment, Gus Mears was intending to offer a multi-purpose arena; a home for everything from polo and lacrosse to agricultural shows and military tournaments. Having come this far, though, the Stamford Bridge investors now hit a considerable snag in their enterprise. Fulham declined the opportunity to move from Craven Cottage. The venture took a new twist. If Mears wanted to have a football club call Stamford Bridge home, then it looked as if he would have to form one of his own. Not one to be dissuaded by such things, he did exactly that. At a meeting on 14 March 1905 a name was settled upon. Stamford Bridge FC did not work it had too many confusing connotations with the site of the Yorkshire battle of 1066, the precursor to that at Hastings. London FC didnt sound right; neither did Kensington. Debating what would sound inspiring being chanted on the terraces, Mears and his cohorts went back to a suggestion that had previously been rejected. Come on Chelsea had the ring to it that they were looking for.

Unless Chelsea Football Club could gain admittance to a league there was little point to its formation. The Southern League seemed like the best bet. A step below the two divisions of the Football League, it was the home of the likes of Fulham, West Ham, Brighton and Hove Albion and Reading. Entry was by election and although Norwich City had oddly been granted admittance for the 1905/06 season, when Chelsea began canvassing, it became apparent that only Southampton could be relied upon to vote yes. Rather than be dismayed, it was decided that Chelsea would aim higher, for the Football League itself. This was ambition indeed. In comparison, Crystal Palace, also formed in 1905, made their debut in the second flight of the Southern League. Charlton, a third London side formed that year, would not even join the Lewisham League as a senior side until 1913, when Arsenal moved away from Woolwich to Highbury and enabled them greater freedom to develop in the area.