[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

In memory of Sergeant Reginald Stephen Anderson, RAF 106 Squadron, service number 1280773, forward for Dulwich Hamlet and Cardiff City.  Sergeant Anderson played for England at amateur level, scoring a hat-trick on his debut in 1938 in an 8-2 victory over Wales.  He joined the Royal Air Force Reserve during the war and was assigned to 106 Squadron.  On the night of 23rd February 1942, the Handley Page Hampden bomber on which Anderson served was one of twenty-three involved in minelaying over the Heligoland approaches, his fifth mission on active duty.  The Handley was downed over Heligoland Bight by flak from the anti-aircraft batteries of Wittun and Puan Klent, and all four crew members were killed when the plane crashed into dunes on the Danish island of Sylt at 6:12am.  He was 25.  His remains are buried in Kiel War Cemetery.

In memory of Private Matthew Armstrong, Royal Army Medical Corps, service number 7362023, wing-half for Darlington and Aston Villa.  Private Armstrong joined Villa as a teenager in 1939 and was described by the Daily Express as a promising young defender who looked to have "that certain soccer something", but the outbreak of war prevented him from making an appearance in the first team.  He was killed in North Africa on the 12th of July 1941 while serving in 149 Field Ambulance, aged 22.

In memory of Able Seaman Norman John Catlin, Royal Navy HMS Gloucester, service number D/JX 165644, outside-right for Arsenal and Southampton.  Catlin was a prolific goalscorer as a teenager and was capped by England Schoolboys.  His professional career proved short-lived due to a slight physical build, and he had effectively retired from football by 1937, taking a job as a clerk with the Cunard-White Star Company.  On the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Royal Navy, and was serving aboard HMS Gloucester during the German invasion of Crete when on the afternoon of 22nd May 1941, the Gloucester - perilously low on anti-aircraft ammunition - was attacked by approximately two hundred Junkers Ju-87 "Stuka" dive bombers in the Kythira Strait.  The captain of HMS Fiji, in the vicinity, described the sky above the Gloucester as "black with planes".  Struck numerous times, the cruiser began sinking at around 4.50pm and was gone within an hour.  Of the 807 men aboard, only 85 survived, and all were captured.  Norman Catlin was among those killed, aged 23.  "The Fighting G", as the ship was known, is commemorated by a stained-glass window in Gloucester Cathedral.

In memory of Private Albert Clarke, 12th (Airborne) Battalion Devonshire Regiment, service number 5626557, forward for Mexborough Town, Frickley Colliery, Torquay United, Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers.  With 21 goals in 41 games, Private Clarke fired Blackburn to the Second Division title before the outbreak of war, and continued to make appearances in the war leagues before enlisting in the Devonshires.  In 1943 his battalion was converted to an airborne role, and formed part of the 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division, that participated in the Normandy landings.  A shortage of aircraft meant that only one company could be inserted by glider, while the remainder travelled by sea; the two elements formed up near Ranville, northeast of Caen, on the 7th of June 1944, and proceeded to assume a defensive position to repulse German attacks.  Moving to new positions a week later, the battalion was a subjected to a heavy concentration of shell and rocket fire on the 16th of June prior to a German attack from Escoville.  The ensuing battle lasted for three hours, and Albert Clarke was among the casualties, aged 27.  He is buried in Ranville War Cemetery.

In memory of Flight Sergeant David Johnston Robertson Clyne, RAF, service number 1550542, right-back for Queen's Park.  Twice capped for Scotland at amateur level, Sergeant Clyne joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on the outbreak of war and trained as a pilot to fly the American-built seaplanes that patrolled Britain's west coast and the northern Atlantic for U-boats.  On the 12th of May 1944, he took off from RAF Oban in a Catalina patrol plane to conduct a training exercise over Barra Head.  Over the island of Vatersay, Clyne grew disoriented, and attempting to gain altitude, the plane instead crashed near the summit of Heisheaval Beag, killing three members of the nine-man crew, including 27-year-old Clyne.  He is buried in Riddrie Park Cemetery in Glasgow, and his name is included in a memorial at Hampden Stadium.  The wreckage of the Catalina's fuselage remains on the hillside on Vatersay to this day.

More to follow.

[drewks]

A day of celebration but also reflection.

In memory of all those who lost their lives.
Thank you.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

In memory of Leading Aircraftman Joseph Leo Coen, RAF, service number 1272455, goalkeeper for Clydebank, Celtic and Luton Town.  On the outbreak of war LAC Coen joined the RAF reserve and trained to be a fighter pilot.  On 15th October 1941, in a training exercise at RAF Cranham in Lincolnshire, he was killed in a mid-air collision when the Airspeed Oxford he was flying crashed into another Oxford half a mile west of the airfield.  He was 30.

In memory of Sergeant Thomas Cooper, 9th Battalion The King's Regiment (Liverpool), service number 3772530, right-back for Port Vale, Derby County, Liverpool and England.  Regarded as one of the greatest fullbacks of his time, Sergeant Cooper made his name when Derby bought him for £2,500 in March 1926.  They were promoted in the same season, and became First Division stalwarts in the years that followed, finishing second in the title race behind Sheffield Wednesday in 1930.  A tough tackler with skilful passing to match, Cooper received his first England cap in 1927, and captained the national team in his last two appearances.  However, knee injuries kept him from pursuing his international career beyond fifteen caps, and by the time war broke out, his career was essentially at an end.  On the 25th of June 1940 in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, Sergeant Cooper - then serving with the Royal Military Police - was killed when his motorcycle collided with a double-decker bus.  He was 36.  As Cooper was not wearing a crash helmet at the time of the accident, the subsequent inquiry made it mandatory for all dispatch riders to wear helmets.  He is buried at Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby.

In memory of Fusilier Haydn Vernon Dackins, 6th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, service number 3973004, forward for Swansea Town, Port Vale, Northwich Victoria and Macclesfield Town.  A journeyman player and occasional goalscorer, Fusilier Dackins was killed during the Allied invasion of Sicily on 2nd August 1943, aged 31.  He is buried at Catania War Cemetery in Sicily.

In memory of Private Thomas Oysten Farrage, 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment, service number 138613, outside-left for Walker Celtic and Birmingham City.  Described as a "promising young player with an eye for goal", Private Farrage joined Blues in November 1937 at the age of 20, and made his debut the following September, scoring three goals in ten appearances before the outbreak of war.  He continued to play in the wartime leagues while serving in the Royal Army Signal Corps during the early part of the conflict, but in May 1943 commenced training as a paratrooper.  During Operation Market Garden he parachuted into the Netherlands with D Company 10th Battalion, and on the 19th of September 1944 was struck by German machine-gun fire during the Battle of Arnhem, dying of wounds to the spine.  Buried by his comrades, his grave was unmarked and he is now commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial.

In memory of Flying Officer David Hendry Fenner, RAF 98 Squadron, service number 179037, outside-left for Kilsyth Rangers, Airdrieonians and Stenhousemuir.  Breaking into the professional game only a year before the war began, Fenner's 1938-39 season yielded a promising 14 goals in 21 appearances, but the commencement of hostilities cut his career short and reduced him to amateur appearances for Stenhousemuir and Manchester United in the wartime leagues.  As the liberation of Europe progressed, 98 Squadron were flying army co-operation sorties behind enemy lines, knocking out strongpoints, bombing tanks and hitting railheads.  On the night of 25th February 1945 his B-25 Mitchell bomber was seen flying into a thick cloud over Eethen in the Netherlands, and it never emerged.  He was 31.

More to follow.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

In memory of Sergeant Frederick William Fisher, RAF 166 Squadron, service number 1896156, forward for Barnsley, Chesterfield and Millwall.  A Barnsley lad, Sergeant Fisher was a stalwart for his hometown club during the mid-1930s, netting 16 times for them.  A move to Chesterfield in 1938 wasn't so successful, and he transferred to Millwall early in the 1938-39 season, regaining a little form thereafter.  Capped once by England's wartime national team for the 4-1 victory over Wales at the City Ground in April 1941, he spent most of the war as an air gunner in the RAF.  At 9.25pm on 25th July 1944, Fisher's Lancaster bomber took off from RAF Kirmington in Lincolnshire with a fleet of 550 planes for a bombing raid on Stuttgart.  German early warning radars followed the incoming bombers from the moment they entered France, and Luftwaffe fighters based at Paris intercepted the first Lancasters over Orleans.  At 12.41am on 26th July, Sergeant Fisher's bomber was shot down by a Junkers Ju-88 commanded by Oberleutnant Herbert Schulte zur Surlage, who was then hit by return fire from Fisher's plane and forced to bale out.  The Lancaster crashed near Taingy, killing the seven-man crew.  Fisher was 34, and is buried at Taingy Communal Cemetery.

In memory of Sergeant Alan Fowler, 4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment, service number 5733161, striker for Leeds United and Swindon Town.  A tricky dribbler and clinical finisher, "Foxie" Fowler was an England Schoolboy international who grew frustrated with a lack of opportunities at Leeds and moved to Swindon in 1934, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win over QPR.  It was a sign of things to come: amongst his 102 goals for the Robins, he managed four in a cup match against Luton in September 1935, including a hat-trick in the first six minutes (a record that still stands as the fastest in Swindon's history), and scored their last two goals before the war in a 2-2 draw against Aldershot in September 1939.  Joining the Dorsetshires when hostilities commenced, he quickly proved himself as a PT instructor for frontline troops, and was awarded an official commendation in 1941 for saving the lives of three men after an accident in priming grenades.  After D-Day, the Wessex Division were thrust into the carnage of Normandy, arriving on 24th June 1944 as Operation Jupiter - the battle to liberate Caen - reached its fiercest phase.  At dawn on 10th July, the 4th Battalion Dorset were ordered to attack Hill 112; a stronghold southwest of the city that held the key to all of Caen and the surrounding countryside.  The assault was preceded by an artillery barrage and a bombing run by RAF Typhoons.  Tragically, four Typhoons that passed over the Dorsets that morning dropped two bombs in the middle of B Company, and Alan Fowler was among those killed by this friendly fire incident before the battle had even begun.  He remains the twelfth highest scorer in Swindon history, and there is a plaque dedicated to him in the North Stand at the County Ground.

In memory of Lieutenant Henry Goslin MC, 53rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery, service number 166334, centre-half for Bolton Wanderers.  Captain of Bolton when war broke out, "Harry" Goslin had spent his entire professional career at Burnden Park, after being signed as an amateur from Boots Athletic for £25 in 1930.  A 7-2 defeat against Liverpool was the first of 306 appearances Goslin for the Whites over the decade that followed, but there was never any doubt about the skipper's determination to fight in the impending war, as he stood in front of a microphone in the centre-circle at Burnden in 1939 and declared to the crowd that after the full-time whistle, he was taking the entire team down to the Territorial Army hall to sign up.  As good as their word, the whole Bolton Wanderers team were posted to the 53rd Field Regt of the Royal Artillery, and after intensive training in Northumberland, set sail for France to join the BEF in March 1940.  Goslin, now a sergeant, was with the regiment on the 10th of May when the first reports came through radios in the cafes and estaminets that Fort Eben-Emael had fallen and the blitzkrieg had begun.  Two months later the regiment was at Dunkirk, and Goslin was promoted to lieutenant for his conduct during the withdrawal and evacuation.  He was capped several times for England's wartime side upon returning to Britain, and after the North Africa campaign - in which the regiment fought at the defence of Alam-el-Halfa - he featured in a British Army side that triumphed 4-2 over the Polish Army.  On 14th December 1943, during the invasion of Italy, Lieutenant Goslin was killed by a German mortar at an observation point above the Sangro River crossing.  He was 34, and was posthumously awarded the Military Cross for his service.  The rest of the Bolton Wanderers team survived the war and continued to play football at its conclusion.

In memory of Sapper Sidney Frederick Gueran, 1 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers, service number 1989425, inside-right for Arsenal, Margate and Southampton.  Mostly used as a reserve during his professional career, Sid Gueran had effectively retired from the game by the outbreak of war.  Enlisting in the Royal Engineers as a sapper, he served in North Africa and Italy before participating in Operation Market Garden.  On the second day of the Battle of Arnhem, while defending a school near the road bridge over the Rhine - the infamous "bridge too far" - Gueran's commanding officer ordered him to cover a vital area to the west, but found on turning round that Gueran had been shot through the mouth by a stray bullet, aged 27.  He is commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial.

In memory of Private George Jordan, 7th Battalion Black Watch, service number 2759374, right-back for Partick Thistle, Kilbirnie Ladeside and Cowdenbeath.  Regarded as one of the finest fullbacks the latter club ever had, Jordan was renowned as a two-footed, ball-playing defender, and in summer 1938 attracted an offer of £8,000 from Arsenal which he rejected out of loyalty to Cowdenbeath, instead staying to guide the club to the Second Division title in 1938-39.  Joining the Black Watch during the war, he was killed on 8th July 1944 during the battle for northern Caen, aged 27; the same campaign that would claim the life of Alan Fowler two days later.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

In memory of Sergeant Percival Kitchener Saunders, 18 Divisional Workshops Royal Ordnance Corps, service number 7624351, inside-forward for Brentford and Sunderland.  Joining Sunderland as a teenager, he managed 20 appearances and 6 goals; a gifted sketch artist, he spent much of his spare time drawing pictures of the Wearside shipyards.  Transferring to Brentford in summer 1939, he scored on his debut to secure a 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park in one of the three games that was played before war broke out.  He was one of the first Brentford players to enlist, joining the Royal Ordnance Corps which posted him to the Far East.  In February 1942, in the chaos following the surrender of Malaya and Singapore and with the Japanese poised to invade the Dutch East Indies, Sergeant Saunders was among those evacuated from the port of Emmahaven aboard the Dutch ship SS Rooseboom, bound for Ceylon.  At 11.35pm on the night of 1st March 1942, the Japanese submarine I-59 spotted the Rooseboom in the Indian Ocean and torpedoed it after a short pursuit, leaving only five survivors, one of whom was soon captured by the Japanese and shot as a spy.  Sergeant Saunders, who died in the attack, is commemorated along with other Sunderland players who lost their lives in the world wars with a statue outside the Stadium of Light.

In memory of Private Wilfred Shaw, 2nd Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, service number 4697323, right-back for Doncaster Rovers.  A one-club professional, Doncaster signed Shaw from Rossington Colliery in 1930 and he remained at Belle Vue for the rest of his career, making 180 acknowledged appearances and countless more in the wartime leagues.  Having enlisted in the Argyll & Sutherlands, he served in the liberation of Western Europe; in 1945, when the Allies came to the Reichswald Forest - a five-mile funnel of land bounded by the rivers Rhine and Maas to the north and south, and the natural corridor through which to invade Germany - there was little choice but to blast through the heavily-defended bottleneck that encompassed part of the infamous Siegfried Line.  For two full weeks the British forces fought through darkness and mist, through gusting wind and icy rain, slogging along flooded forest paths and across quagmire minefields to dislodge a fanatical defence of German paratroopers, with the Highlanders playing pipes during the advance to guard against friendly fire when visibility was poor.  It was on 20th February 1945, twelve days into the offensive, that Wilf Shaw was killed on the northern flank of the Reichswald Forest front.  He was survived by his elder brother, legendary cup-winning Albion fullback George Shaw.  At the conclusion of the battle, the regimental sergeant-major of the King's Own Scottish Borderers flew a token piece of dirty laundry from the West Wall of the Reichswald Forest fortifications, fulfilling the five-year-old promise to "hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line."

In memory of Leading Seaman Charles Thomas Sillett, Royal Navy SS Corvus, service number C/JX 248591, left-back for Southampton.  A soldier before he became a footballer, Sillett initially played only in army matches during the 1920s and didn't become a professional until his mid-twenties, when he scored twice on his debut for Saints at centre-forward.  Versatile and two-footed, his career at the Dell put him in a variety of positions around the field, though left-back was his favoured role.  Dogged by injuries, he captained Southampton in his last season before retirement, and then managed a pub in the New Forest until the outbreak of war, when he volunteered as a gunner aboard defensively-armed merchant ships and served on the Atlantic convoys.  On 29th September 1942 he survived the sinking of HMS Registan by U-332 east of Barbados, and was rescued by an Argentinian merchant boat; but at 10.15am on 27th February 1945, bound for Plymouth with 1800 tons of coal, Sillett's ship the Corvus was spotted by U-1018 and torpedoed seven miles from Lizard Point.  The explosion ripped open the ship's starboard side; she listed heavily and sank within minutes.  Six of the twenty-two crew and two of the three gunners were killed or drowned, Sillett among them.  Within two hours, U-1018 was successfully sunk by the convoy escort.  Sillett was survived by his widow Anne and his sons Peter and John.  Both sons went on to become professional footballers at Chelsea: Peter was capped by England in the 1950s, and John Sillett managed Coventry City to FA Cup glory in 1987.

In memory of Major John James Tompkins, Royal Fusiliers, service number 138742, left-half for Fulham.  Employed as one of the ground-staff at Highbury during his amateur days, Arsenal's legendary manager Herbert Chapman was disappointed to hear that Tompkins had signed for Fulham after seeing him play, as he regarded the half-back as a future England player.  Ultimately, Tompkins played 164 matches for Fulham including an FA Cup semi-final in 1936; known for his tough tackling and attacking runs, he was a lynchpin of the side.  Having joined the Territorial Army on the eve of war, he was drafted into the Royal Fusiliers and rose swiftly through the ranks.  Seconded to the 7th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment after D-Day - an experienced officer leading a raw unit - on 10th July 1944 he was involved in the fighting around Hill 112, south of Caen, where Alan Fowler had died at daybreak.  Ordered to take the village of Maltot, at 8.15am the battalion advanced down the slope of a ridge through tall, ripe corn and encountered fierce enemy resistance with little cover.  Despite heavy losses, part of the battalion captured Maltot and attempted to fortify their position, only to find themselves in the jaws of a trap: a number of German Tiger tanks were dug in and concealed on the outskirts of the village, reinforced by elite SS troops, and they subjected the Hampshires to a punishing counterattack.  Major Tompkins was last seen charging an enemy machine-gun nest, but his body was never recovered, and he was thought to have suffered a direct hit from a tank shell.  He was 30, and his name is inscribed on the war memorial at Bayeux.

If you've read this far, thank you.  I hope you've enjoyed VE Day and will have a great time for the rest of the weekend.  But please carry on keeping your distance from others as you do.  The "sacrifice" we're making by staying at home is nothing compared to the sacrifices made by the men I've written about in this thread, and those who lived to see VE Day in 1945 and are still with us today are among the most vulnerable in this pandemic.  Don't let them down.  Keep them, and yourselves, safe; and in good time we'll all be at the football again.

[Arcane Astral Aeons]

In memory of Sergeant Percival Kitchener Saunders, 18 Divisional Workshops Royal Ordnance Corps, service number 7624351, inside-forward for Brentford and Sunderland.  Joining Sunderland as a teenager, he managed 20 appearances and 6 goals; a gifted sketch artist, he spent much of his spare time drawing pictures of the Wearside shipyards.  Transferring to Brentford in summer 1939, he scored on his debut to secure a 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park in one of the three games that was played before war broke out.  He was one of the first Brentford players to enlist, joining the Royal Ordnance Corps which posted him to the Far East.  In February 1942, in the chaos following the surrender of Malaya and Singapore and with the Japanese poised to invade the Dutch East Indies, Sergeant Saunders was among those evacuated from the port of Emmahaven aboard the Dutch ship SS Rooseboom, bound for Ceylon.  At 11.35pm on the night of 1st March 1942, the Japanese submarine I-59 spotted the Rooseboom in the Indian Ocean and torpedoed it after a short pursuit, leaving only five survivors, one of whom was soon captured by the Japanese and shot as a spy.  Sergeant Saunders, who died in the attack, is commemorated along with other Sunderland players who lost their lives in the world wars with a statue outside the Stadium of Light.

In memory of Private Wilfred Shaw, 2nd Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, service number 4697323, right-back for Doncaster Rovers.  A one-club professional, Doncaster signed Shaw from Rossington Colliery in 1930 and he remained at Belle Vue for the rest of his career, making 180 acknowledged appearances and countless more in the wartime leagues.  Having enlisted in the Argyll & Sutherlands, he served in the liberation of Western Europe; in 1945, when the Allies came to the Reichswald Forest - a five-mile funnel of land bounded by the rivers Rhine and Maas to the north and south, and the natural corridor through which to invade Germany - there was little choice but to blast through the heavily-defended bottleneck that encompassed part of the infamous Siegfried Line.  For two full weeks the British forces fought through darkness and mist, through gusting wind and icy rain, slogging along flooded forest paths and across quagmire minefields to dislodge a fanatical defence of German paratroopers, with the Highlanders playing pipes during the advance to guard against friendly fire when visibility was poor.  It was on 20th February 1945, twelve days into the offensive, that Wilf Shaw was killed on the northern flank of the Reichswald Forest front.  He was survived by his elder brother, legendary cup-winning Albion fullback George Shaw.  At the conclusion of the battle, the regimental sergeant-major of the King's Own Scottish Borderers flew a token piece of dirty laundry from the West Wall of the Reichswald Forest fortifications, fulfilling the five-year-old promise to "hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line."

In memory of Leading Seaman Charles Thomas Sillett, Royal Navy SS Corvus, service number C/JX 248591, left-back for Southampton.  A soldier before he became a footballer, Sillett initially played only in army matches during the 1920s and didn't become a professional until his mid-twenties, when he scored twice on his debut for Saints at centre-forward.  Versatile and two-footed, his career at the Dell put him in a variety of positions around the field, though left-back was his favoured role.  Dogged by injuries, he captained Southampton in his last season before retirement, and then managed a pub in the New Forest until the outbreak of war, when he volunteered as a gunner aboard defensively-armed merchant ships and served on the Atlantic convoys.  On 29th September 1942 he survived the sinking of HMS Registan by U-332 east of Barbados, and was rescued by an Argentinian merchant boat; but at 10.15am on 27th February 1945, bound for Plymouth with 1800 tons of coal, Sillett's ship the Corvus was spotted by U-1018 and torpedoed seven miles from Lizard Point.  The explosion ripped open the ship's starboard side; she listed heavily and sank within minutes.  Six of the twenty-two crew and two of the three gunners were killed or drowned, Sillett among them.  Within two hours, U-1018 was successfully sunk by the convoy escort.  Sillett was survived by his widow Anne and his sons Peter and John.  Both sons went on to become professional footballers at Chelsea: Peter was capped by England in the 1950s, and John Sillett managed Coventry City to FA Cup glory in 1987.

In memory of Major John James Tompkins, Royal Fusiliers, service number 138742, left-half for Fulham.  Employed as one of the ground-staff at Highbury during his amateur days, Arsenal's legendary manager Herbert Chapman was disappointed to hear that Tompkins had signed for Fulham after seeing him play, as he regarded the half-back as a future England player.  Ultimately, Tompkins played 164 matches for Fulham including an FA Cup semi-final in 1936; known for his tough tackling and attacking runs, he was a lynchpin of the side.  Having joined the Territorial Army on the eve of war, he was drafted into the Royal Fusiliers and rose swiftly through the ranks.  Seconded to the 7th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment after D-Day - an experienced officer leading a raw unit - on 10th July 1944 he was involved in the fighting around Hill 112, south of Caen, where Alan Fowler had died at daybreak.  Ordered to take the village of Maltot, at 8.15am the battalion advanced down the slope of a ridge through tall, ripe corn and encountered fierce enemy resistance with little cover.  Despite heavy losses, part of the battalion captured Maltot and attempted to fortify their position, only to find themselves in the jaws of a trap: a number of German Tiger tanks were dug in and concealed on the outskirts of the village, reinforced by elite SS troops, and they subjected the Hampshires to a punishing counterattack.  Major Tompkins was last seen charging an enemy machine-gun nest, but his body was never recovered, and he was thought to have suffered a direct hit from a tank shell.  He was 30, and his name is inscribed on the war memorial at Bayeux.

If you've read this far, thank you.  I hope you've enjoyed VE Day and will have a great time for the rest of the weekend.  But please carry on keeping your distance from others as you do.  The "sacrifice" we're making by staying at home is nothing compared to the sacrifices made by the men I've written about in this thread, and those who lived to see VE Day in 1945 and are still with us today are among the most vulnerable in this pandemic.  Don't let them down.  Keep them, and yourselves, safe; and in good time we'll all be at the football again.

superb post Ska`d great read
and much as i wont be singing We`ll Meet Again Tonight
i will be playing it
we own those people you have highlighted and many thousands more so much

brilliant post

[Blue Baggie]

A special thanks to Ska'd for his posts today.

[wba13]

Agree with blue baggie, thanks Ska’d , and a special mention to every one of our heroes, God be with you all and Thanks for everything.