‘They died happy warriors’: Liverpool, Blackburn and Southampton stars were among 80 pro footballers who gave their lives fighting the Nazis, new book reveals
- Southampton FC player Sid Gueran was shot in the mouth at Battle of Arnhem
- England star Tom Cooper served in military police but killed in accident
- Bolton Wanderers defender Harry Goslin killed by mortar shrapnel in Italy
The poignant stories of 80 professional footballers who died fighting the Nazis in World War 2 are laid bare in a new book.
More than 600 footballers, including international players, swapped their kit for a military uniform after war broke out in 1939.
Those who never made it home include an England star killed in a motorbike collision and a Blackburn Rovers forward who became a D-Day veteran.
Also remembered in the book is a Luton Town player who became a victim of the dreaded German battleship Bismarck and a Fulham stalwart who was last seen alive charging a machine gun post.
Their acts of gallantry are told in Season in Hell, a new book by historian and BBC crime drama New Tricks screenwriter Nigel McCrery.
Sidney Gueran, a Southampton FC football player, was shot in the mouth during Operation Market Garden, the infamous 1944 Allied operation that inspired the film One Bridge Too Far
One of the most moving tales was that of Sapper Sidney Gueran, who played for Southampton FC in the late 1930s, and was sadly shot and killed during the Battle of Arnhem.
Although he enlisted with the Royal Engineers, he later joined the Parachute Regiment.
A sapper is a soldier whose job is to do building, digging and similar work.
Spr Gueran was dropped behind enemy lines into northern Holland for Operation Market Garden – a failed Allied operation in Nazi-occupied Netherlands – on September 17, 1944.
He was shot and killed aged 27 during a famous rearguard action at a school house near to Arnhem Bridge the following day.
The mission was for the men to seize and secure key bridges across the River Rhine while ground troops and armour thrust 50 miles north to reinforce them over several days.
But the road bridge at Arnhem, the furthest point along the route, proved a bridge too far.
The 10,000 paratroopers there held out for eight days until they were overwhelmed by the enemy.
Just 2,000 men made it out of Arnhem with almost 2,000 killed and 6,000 captured.
Harry Goslin (pictured above), a defender for the Bolton Wanderers, was posted to the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery and saw action in France, Egypt and Italy
Lt Goslin (pictured above) was mortally wounded by mortar shrapnel during the Battle of Sangro River in 1943
The heroic but costly rearguard was immortalised in the 1977 epic war film A Bridge Too Far starring Dirk Bogarde and Michael Caine, based on a nonfiction book of the same name.
Spr Gueran landed five miles from Arnhem at about 2pm on September 17.
He was part of ‘B’ troop, which followed the 2nd Parachute Battalion column on foot to Arnhem, where they arrived at 9pm.
They occupied the imposing Van Limburg Stirum School, which overlooked the bridge.
That night, the three-storey building was prepared for defence and, at dawn, Lance Sargeant Harold Padfield organised his men’s firing positions.
That morning, Spr Gueran was shot in the mouth, possibly by a stray bullet, and killed on the spot – the first casualty inside the school house, which became a pile of rubble over the days to come.
Sgt Padfield later recalled: ‘I went to Sapper Sid Gueran and set him up on a desk, so he could comfortably sit and cover a vital area to the west, through a porthole window.
‘I was telling him the area I wanted him to cover, but couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting a response.
‘When I turned towards him, he was sat upright, shot through the mouth.
‘It must have been a stray bullet, because I certainly didn’t hear anything.
‘I got hold of (Sapper) Joe Malley, whom I had put in charge of this particular area, and we laid Sid out on the floor, making sure his dog tags were round his neck.
‘So that was the end of Sid, and by 9am on the Monday morning, I’d had my first casualty.’
Joseph Ladd (pictured above) played for Luton Town before the war – then served on board the battle cruiser HMS Hood. It crossed paths with the deadly German warship the Bismarck in 1941, and was sunk killing 1,418 crew members – with just three survivors
The most high profile footballer killed in World War 2 was Tom Cooper, a Liverpool player who represented England 15 times.
He signed up to the Royal Military Police, but died in a motorbike accident following a collision with a lorry.
Lieutenant Harry Goslin, a defender for the Bolton Wanderers, was posted to the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery like most of the team.
He saw action in France leading up to the withdrawals at Dunkirk in 1940, took part in the defence of Alan el Halfa in Egypt 1942, joined the invasion of Italy in 1943 and finally took part in the battle to take control of the River Sangro crossing.
On December 14, 1943, a mortar bomb exploded under a tree in which Lt Goslin had made his observation point; he was mortally wounded by shrapnel and wood, dying a few days later.
Leeds United player Joseph Stevenson (pictured above) died leading his Gurkhas into battle during fierce fighting against the Japanese in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1944
Maj Stevenson (pictured above) was ‘killed instantly’ and buried on top of a jungle-covered mountain, his commanding officer told his wife Olive
Private Albert Clarke played for Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers before signing up for the 12th (Airborne) Battalion Devonshire Regiment when war broke out.
The Battalion took part in the Normandy landings and moved forward over the days that followed.
Pte Clarke lost his life during a German counterattack near Escoville on June 17, 1944.
A letter from the son of his commander, Lieutenant Bertram Horwood, reveals he was hit by fragments from a mortar bomb and died instantly.
He wrote: ‘Lt Horwood was ordered to take a group of men to block a road junction just behind the front line (they were supposed to be resting).
‘At 4 o’clock the next morning, they were heavily shelled and mortared.
‘Lt Horwood later recounted that Albert was hit by fragments from a mortar bomb. He did instantaneously and felt no pain.’
Blackburn Rovers star Albert Clarke (pictured above) was killed during a German counterattack in Normandy in June 1944
Major John James Tompkins, a Fulham stalwart with 164 appearances, fought with the 7th Battalion Regiment.
He was posted to France shortly after D-Day and ordered to take the village of Maltot, which was defended by Tiger tanks.
Fighting against impossible odds, Maj Tompkins was killed while charging a machine gun post, and sadly his body was never recovered.
Former Leeds player Major Joseph Stephenson died leading his Gurkhas into battle during fierce fighting against the Japanese in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1944.
His commanding officer wrote to his widow, Olive: ‘Your Eric died a happy warrior.
‘He was killed instantly on the edge of a Japanese position in a remote part of Burma.
‘We buried him where he lay on the top of a jungle-covered mountain.
‘Be of good heart and take courage from the knowledge that Eric did not live or die in vain.
‘His sterling worth will remain an inspiring example to us all, both now in the war and in the years of peace to come.’
Major John James Tompkins (pictured above) was killed while charging a machine gun post in France and his body was sadly never recovered
Maj Tompkins had 164 Fulham appearances under his belt (team pictured above)
Stoker Charles Ladd, who played for Luton Town, was on board the battle cruiser HMS Hood, which was ordered to intercept the infamous German battleship, the Bismarck.
They crossed paths at the Battle of Denmark Strait on May 24, 1941, where Hood was struck by several shells from the Bismarck.
It sunk within three minutes, killing 1,418 crew – there were only three survivors.
Ex-Liverpool and Manchester City player Corporal Henry ‘Harry’ Race’ of the 5th Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, was killed during the second Battle of El Alamein.
Fusilier Cyril Tooze, a Welsh full back who donned Arsenal’s colours, was killed by a sniper’s bullet at Monte Cassino in Italy.
Ernest Tooze (pictured above) was a Welsh full back who wore the Arsenal kit and was killed by a sniper’s bullet at Monte Cassino in Italy
Historian Mr McCrery drew parallels between the bravery of the World War 2 footballers and players who have been killed defending Ukraine from Russian aggression.
He said: ‘In many cases, the loss of these individuals must have affected the population in much the same way if we had lost hundreds of major sporting stars today.
‘Even now, in Ukraine, football league players have been killed defending their country.
‘Perhaps they were less well known to us, but they were certainly known to the Ukrainian people and many others outside the country.
‘I hope that his book will help put a face to some of the casualties of the Second World War and show that the numbers should never mask the fact that each and every one was a tragedy.’
Season in Hell by Nigel McCrery (pictured above), detailing the stories of 80 British footballers killed in World War 2, will be on shelves from April 30
Season in Hell, by Nigel McCrery will be published by Pen & Sword on April 30 and costs £15.99.
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