Pompey WWII Eleven

Pompey WWII Eleven

Football was played at Fratton Park during World War II, as the game was deemed good for the morale of servicemen and civilians alike

Formation

Harry Walker

Custodian Walker had been part of Pompey’s FA Cup winning side only four months before the outbreak of the Second World War. He was a near ever-present during the war years turning out over 200 times. After the war, he lost his place to Ernie Butler and moved onto to Nottingham Forest.

Bill Rochford

Left-back and FA Cup winner Bill ‘Rockie’ Rochford played in the vast majority of the wartime games for the Blues, he was also, more importantly, employed fixing metal caps on plane props at Follands. After the war he resumed his playing career for that lot down the road.

Tommy Rowe

Pompey’s FA Cup winning centre-half only made a limited number of appearances in the wartime leagues. This was largely because he was busy flying Lancaster and Halifax bombers on raids over Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943 before being shot down in enemy territory and made a prisoner of war. 

Reg Flewin

Although he was on the club’s books, the Portsmouth-born Flewin didn’t make the FA Cup starting line-up, but he was a regular during the seven wartime league seasons. A serving Royal Marine, he was also called up for England and earned a wartime cap.

Lew Morgan

Signed from Dundee in 1935, the Scottish full-back is another FA Cup winner who played regularly during the war years. He was given a free transfer when football restarted and went on to play for Watford and Chelmsford City.

Jimmy Guthrie

The Blues' FA Cup-winning captain was badly injured in a car accident during Air Raid Precautions training before the war even began. He recovered to play a large proportion of the wartime games, including the London War Cup final against Brentford in 1942 – in which he missed a penalty.

George Summerbee

Father of Mike, Grandfather of Nicky, George Summerbee made 149 appearances as a guest player for the Blues while working at Follands aircraft factory. The footballing family appear together in Colin Shindler’s excellent book ‘Fathers, Sons and Football’.

Cliff Parker

(Soon to be) Pompey Hall of Famer Parker scored two priceless goals in the 1939 FA Cup win and kept playing during the war years while also working at the Folland aircraft factory in Hamble-le-Rice. He resumed his Blues career after the war.

Ted Drake

The Arsenal goal-scoring legend (see main pic above) turned out for Pompey as a guest player on Boxing Day 1944, and in typical rampaging fashion proceeded to score four in a 9-1 rout of Crystal Palace. During the war years he served in the RAF as a flight lieutentant.

Andy Black

Goal-hungry Heart of Midlothian striker Black made 30 appearances as a ringer, sorry, guest for the Blues, in which time he netted a remarkable 46 times. This included eight in the 16-1 thrashing of Clapham Orient at Fratton Park in February 1942. Who says when two tribes go to war one is all you score? 

Bert Barlow 

Pompey’s most prolific wartime goalscorer, the FA Cup winner notched 98 goals in 196 games. He scored six against Bournemouth in a 10-2 victory in 1941. Bert went on to help the Blues win their first Football League Championship in 1948-49.