Smith - Aye Ready Rangers War Heroes

Also by Paul Smith

Tannadice Idols

Shearer Wonderland (with Duncan Shearer)

Pittodrie Idols

There can be no more complex or sensitive subject in British history than the First and Second World Wars. With that in mind, I owe a debt of gratitude to the veritable army of people who contributed advice in all measures along a fascinating journey. Colin MacLeod, with his attention to detail and tenacious spirit, once again provided vital support while Campbell Brown and his dedicated team at Black & White Publishing, from the initial idea to the finishing touches, were a driving force in the project. Editor Mike Murphy tackled his task with patience and diligence while contributions from family members of Rangers heroes, including Jean Cox, the devoted wife of Sammy Cox, and Walter Tulls surviving relatives Pat Justad and the Reverend Duncan Finlayson were hugely appreciated. Dave Pendleton, with his enthusiasm for the life and times of Jimmy Speirs, was enormously helpful and all were gracious enough to spare their time and memories to add a personal touch. There were professional contributions from Annabel Reeves and Paul Murray, amongst others, whilst the veterans charity Erskine also lent its support along with the British Red Cross and its archive team. Derek Bird at the Western Front Association and many, many others at various regimental museums and military archives also had a part to play. Without each of them it would not have been possible to pull so many facets together. As always, the greatest thanks go to Coral, Finlay, Mia and our new baby Zara for the inspiration to get over the finish line once again at the end of a marathon effort.

Too many games they cry, not enough rest. We need a winter break they plead, time to recharge the batteries and soak up the sun. The contract is too short, the pay packet not big enough. The media scrutiny is too intense, the supporters are far too demanding.

Ever since covering my first Scottish Premier Division football match in the mid-1990s, I have reported on all of those issues and more as our national games many and varied woes have been placed under the microscope for close analysis at one stage or another.

For better or worse we have a tendency to take our national game, or perhaps national obsession, very seriously. Molehills can become mountains very quickly amid the furore whipped up around even the smallest of grumbles or complaints. From refereeing decisions to ticket prices, we have all become animated at some point or another by aspects of the sport that grab you by the lapels and wont let go.

And then it hits you; does any of it really matter? Probably not. If the stars of today are asked to play a few extra matches or to push themselves that little bit harder, what is the worst that can happen? A hamstring strain here, a shin splint there. Are the protracted contract negotiations of each and every summer something we should be getting exercised about? Careers in football are short but the rewards are, in the main, handsome. Is the glare of the press spotlight a price worth paying for the privileged lifestyle afforded to players at the top level? On balance, yes.

What puts the trials and tribulations of the current crop of players into a stark context is the type of adversity faced by their forebears during the two world wars. Those were the men who knew real struggle and who faced the challenges with a remarkable lack of drama. War became part and parcel of life for the men of both eras, and footballers, like every other section of society, had to knuckle down and lay their life on the line for their country. No questions asked, no excuses given. These were not superstars who had a fortune to fall back on, rather a different type of superstar, ordinary working men who happened to go to work at a football ground rather than a colliery or factory. They lived in ordinary houses on ordinary streets but were responsible for extraordinary acts. It is a humbling experience to look back on those times and note the sacrifices made. Some were lucky enough to return unscathed, save for the mental scars inflicted by battle. Others were less fortunate and landed back on British soil bearing the physical injuries of war. Just as many did not return at all, paying the ultimate price for their nations part in both the First World War and the Second World War. We have all watched from afar as todays troops do battle in Afghanistan and have listened as yet more names are added to the list of fatalities from that particular theatre of war. It is very difficult to imagine the prospect of waving off a clutch of current Ibrox idols ready to join the effort, yet that is exactly what Rangers supporters did on two occasions during the first half of the twentieth century. Picture Alan McGregor marching off in full combat gear with a machine gun over his shoulder or Ally McCoist getting to grips with a deadly Taliban explosive device. It sounds totally and utterly absurd, but that type of complete role reversal became terrifyingly normal for a generation of fans who would serve side by side in the trenches with the men they had once cheered from the terraces. There was no place for airs and graces on the part of the football fraternity and equally no time for their comrades to be star struck; just as in the Rangers dressing room, it was a case of one for all and all for one. Many Rangers men, either past or present during the war years, went on to win honours for their bravery in the field. Many Rangers men lost their lives. Others went about their business quietly and efficiently in all areas of the forces, home and abroad, and each and every one had a part to play. Aye Ready is about piecing together a football narrative with the more sombre story of the war, attempting to put in context the impact the conflicts had on a group of men who had once dreamt only of scoring goals and winning trophies but who quickly had to rewrite their career plan when the forces called. In the Great War there were characters such as Walter Tull and Jimmy Speirs leading the way on the frontline. Both were killed in action, both had in one way or another an Ibrox link and both could not have realised the way in which they would capture the imagination in England and Scotland long after falling on foreign soil.

Tulls story is a captivating one and perhaps the most documented of all of the Great Wars football tales. Much has been made of his stock as a Tottenham and Northampton Town idol and little of his Rangers link. Mentioned fleetingly here and there, the challenge was to put flesh on the bones of the long-standing suggestion that the great man was a Gers man in waiting. What has emerged is that the connection was a definite one and that it extended far beyond a fleeting notion of wishing to play for Scotlands leading lights there was a far more substantial pull towards Ibrox than that, a strong family bond to the club. Anecdotal evidence suggests the heroic Tull did play in light blue during the war years but, more poignantly, it is clear that had he not been killed in action he would have been bound for a settled and, it is fair to assume, successful career at Ibrox. What is little known is that Tulls Scottish connection remains strong to this day. Indeed, he is at the centre of an ongoing tartan mystery as efforts continue to trace the wartime mementoes that vanished from their resting place north of the border in relatively recent times.

During the course of researching this project I have been fortunate to speak to members of his surviving family, based in the Highlands, and gleaned not only fascinating insights into the life and times of their famous ancestor, but also a feel for the pride that still burns strong within those who share a blood line with the war hero.