War Heroes

[roversdude]

Did Rovers lose any players in either of the World Wars

[Chris Black come back]

Billy came through unscathed, thankfully.

[i_ateallthepies]

Billy came through unscathed, thankfully.

 

[Monolith No. 9]

Player called Wilf Shaw is commemorated somewhere locally. Not sure about others.

[Monolith No. 9]

Player called Wilf Shaw is commemorated somewhere locally. Not sure about others.

Found this. Probably why it stuck in my mind.

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/april/rover-of-the-day-wilf-shaw/

Rosso lad and he’s named on the memorial in Cantley apparently.

[roversdude]

Thanks Monolith

[drfchound]

Player called Wilf Shaw is commemorated somewhere locally. Not sure about others.

Found this. Probably why it stuck in my mind.

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/april/rover-of-the-day-wilf-shaw/

Rosso lad and he’s named on the memorial in Cantley apparently.

The link says there should be a photo of the 1935-36 squad but the picture I’m getting is of a much more up to date player.

[Monolith No. 9]

Found this…Rovers team photo on this page for 1935

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw049428

[drfchound]

Found this…Rovers team photo on this page for 1935

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw049428

Thanks for that.
Great photo. 

[Usher wide.]

Found this…Rovers team photo on this page for 1935

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw049428

Thanks for that.
Great photo. 

Is that you sweeping up at the back of the pop stand hound?

[Ian Nimmo]

Belle vue didn’t change that much from those days!

[roversdude]

Just thinking about this - a lot of other clubs seem to have sadly lost numerous players during the wars - I guess a lot of our players were in protected industries (guessing playing for Rovers was a part time job rather than main income back then) so thankfully avoided conscription

[drfchound]

Found this…Rovers team photo on this page for 1935

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw049428

Thanks for that.
Great photo. 

Is that you sweeping up at the back of the pop stand hound?

Haha, nice one.
But no, it isn’t.
It does look a bit like a young Wolfie though.

[Monolith No. 9]

Just thinking about this - a lot of other clubs seem to have sadly lost numerous players during the wars - I guess a lot of our players were in protected industries (guessing playing for Rovers was a part time job rather than main income back then) so thankfully avoided conscription

I went into this a few years ago researching an ancestor who had escaped the pit to sign up for Barnsley, only for WW1to intervene and for him to lose his life on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

From memory some clubs took a big hit. There was a London based Pals Battalion that contained a 150 or so footballers who had signed up. I’m pretty sure almost a third of that number were players, officials and supporters or Leyton Orient and they lost a big number. Always had a lot of time for Orient since I found that out. The other thing that stuck out when I was looking was Heart of Midlothian. Something like 15/16 of their players volunteered and half were killed in battle.

[idler]

Just thinking about this - a lot of other clubs seem to have sadly lost numerous players during the wars - I guess a lot of our players were in protected industries (guessing playing for Rovers was a part time job rather than main income back then) so thankfully avoided conscription

I went into this a few years ago researching an ancestor who had escaped the pit to sign up for Barnsley, only for WW1to intervene and for him to lose his life on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

From memory some clubs took a bit hit. There was a London based Pals Battalion that contained a 150 or so footballers who had signed up. I’m pretty sure almost a third of that number were players, officials and supporters or Leyton Orient and they lost a big number. Always had a lot of time for Orient since I found that out. The other thing that stuck out when I was looking was Heart of Midlothian. Something like 15/16 of their players volunteered and half were killed in battle.

Was your ancestor in the Yorkshire and Lancaster regiment? My granddad left his job as a miner at Brodsworth to join them. He died early that first morning near Albert. His body was never found and his name is one of about 70,000 with no known grave on the Theipval memorial. He left a wife and four children, my mum was the youngest at 9 months old.

[Monolith No. 9]

Just thinking about this - a lot of other clubs seem to have sadly lost numerous players during the wars - I guess a lot of our players were in protected industries (guessing playing for Rovers was a part time job rather than main income back then) so thankfully avoided conscription

I went into this a few years ago researching an ancestor who had escaped the pit to sign up for Barnsley, only for WW1to intervene and for him to lose his life on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

From memory some clubs took a bit hit. There was a London based Pals Battalion that contained a 150 or so footballers who had signed up. I’m pretty sure almost a third of that number were players, officials and supporters or Leyton Orient and they lost a big number. Always had a lot of time for Orient since I found that out. The other thing that stuck out when I was looking was Heart of Midlothian. Something like 15/16 of their players volunteered and half were killed in battle.

Was your ancestor in the Yorkshire and Lancaster regiment? My granddad left his job as a miner at Brodsworth to join them. He died early that first morning near Albert. His body was never found and his name is one of about 70,000 with no known grave on the Theipval memorial. He left a wife and four children, my mum was the youngest at 9 months old.

Kings Own Light Infantry 1st/5th Battalion, which was headquartered in Doncaster. He was from Cudworth, so I guess that puts him down Grimethorpe Colliery? Also just a name at Theipval and no grave.

70,000 without a grave. Hard to comprehend.

[drfchound]

Just thinking about this - a lot of other clubs seem to have sadly lost numerous players during the wars - I guess a lot of our players were in protected industries (guessing playing for Rovers was a part time job rather than main income back then) so thankfully avoided conscription

I went into this a few years ago researching an ancestor who had escaped the pit to sign up for Barnsley, only for WW1to intervene and for him to lose his life on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

From memory some clubs took a bit hit. There was a London based Pals Battalion that contained a 150 or so footballers who had signed up. I’m pretty sure almost a third of that number were players, officials and supporters or Leyton Orient and they lost a big number. Always had a lot of time for Orient since I found that out. The other thing that stuck out when I was looking was Heart of Midlothian. Something like 15/16 of their players volunteered and half were killed in battle.

Was your ancestor in the Yorkshire and Lancaster regiment? My granddad left his job as a miner at Brodsworth to join them. He died early that first morning near Albert. His body was never found and his name is one of about 70,000 with no known grave on the Theipval memorial. He left a wife and four children, my mum was the youngest at 9 months old.

Kings Own Light Infantry 1st/5th Battalion, which was headquartered in Doncaster. He was from Cudworth, so I guess that puts him down Grimethorpe Colliery? Also just a name at Theipval and no grave.

70,000 without a grave. Hard to comprehend.

Very sad. 

[roversdude]

I hope Remembrance Day continues forever we need to remind future generations of the sacrifice our forefathers gave

[Spilsby Red]

Totally agree roversdude. We can never forget

[In the box]

I hope Remembrance Day continues forever we need to remind future generations of the sacrifice our forefathers gave

In thought our rematch tribute was shocking and ill thought out . On a special day where  reverence and respect is the message being portrayed , yet to continue to play Thin Lizzy and still have the player trot out to “The Boys are Back in Town” just as patrons and guests were walking out to lay wreaths pay their tributes and leaving them all waiting for this ludicrous insensitive din to stop so they could begin a ceremony on behalf of those who laid down their lives was just disgraceful ,
I thought it was totally out of context on what the occasion actually demanded and a variation with the ceremony being conducted before the usual preamble of music and with players coming out after the ceremony had concluded . Shocking !!

[drfchound]

There was also a fans lack of understanding that the ceremony hadn’t finished before someone started the round of applause before the last few words (Tell them of us etc) had been spoken.

[Ian Nimmo]

I hope Remembrance Day continues forever we need to remind future generations of the sacrifice our forefathers gave

In thought our rematch tribute was shocking and ill thought out . On a special day where  reverence and respect is the message being portrayed , yet to continue to play Thin Lizzy and still have the player trot out to “The Boys are Back in Town” just as patrons and guests were walking out to lay wreaths pay their tributes and leaving them all waiting for this ludicrous insensitive din to stop so they could begin a ceremony on behalf of those who laid down their lives was just disgraceful ,
I thought it was totally out of context on what the occasion actually demanded and a variation with the ceremony being conducted before the usual preamble of music and with players coming out after the ceremony had concluded . Shocking !!
Yes totally agree, the music was totally inappropriate, blasting out when we had the flag bearer walking out to the centre circle and followed by Terry and the rest of the wreath laying party. This must not happen again.
Having said that I also thought the silence for both sets of fans was tremendous, in past years we have regularly had some idiotic fans in either home or away end, but not today, perfect respect.

[i_ateallthepies]

Not quite perfect I.N.   I was in section E3 and even with my hearing could clearly hear one voice in particular but others as well in the Barnsley crowd.  Never stopped throughout the whole ceremony.  Cretin.

[roversdude]

There were a lot of shhhh’s in the Barnsley end and some noise from outside the stadium but overall very respectful

[ForsolongaRover]

When I started watching in the late 1940s a lot of the players had seen war service. In WW2, many of you will know there was some football and teams like Rovers would be made up of RAF and Army servicemen with some very famous footballers, stationed in the area who played as “guests” for Rovers. (I've forgotten the names, but I used to hear a lot about war-time matches talking to people who I worked with in the 1960s). There were lots of RAF stations in the area, particularly in North Lincolnshire, in those days. The services would recognise who were the good sportsmen and I get the impression that they would try to keep them from overseas postings.

The proportion of men conscripted in the Doncaster area would probably be lower than average because miners and railwaymen were in “reserved occupations”.

[Filo]

My Grandads brother, Private Job Beddoes MM died on 20th July 1918 aged 28, he has no known grave and is remembered on the Soissons memorial in France, my Grandad was 8 years old when his brother was killed