WJD
Active Member
Shown on BBC last night and well worth a watch on I Player. It deals with the response to the outbreak of World War One, particularly in the early days of 1914, from within the sporting fraternity: specifically between Rugby Union and professional football.
The footage of pre-war football was fascinating in itself and deserves a bigger audience that it would have achieved on Monday night. The program tells the story of two London based clubs; a rugby club in the west of the city and Leyton Orient, then known as Clapton Orient.
Orient might not be the most glamorous of clubs, but I have a new found respect for them having watched this show. Ten Orient players enlisted into a footballers Battalion among them Richard McFadden. He had moved south from Glasgow pre-war to look for work and played for the O's. He was killed during the war but not before winning the Military Medal and reaching the rank of RSM. Some fascinating insights were provided by his neice who still attends games. I was impressed by the way they took pride in the military achievements of their players and the remembrance of the Somme
It's a London based show, but Hearts' response got a brief mention. The only disappointment would be that this show could have stretched to an hour given the material at hand.
Highly recommended.
The footage of pre-war football was fascinating in itself and deserves a bigger audience that it would have achieved on Monday night. The program tells the story of two London based clubs; a rugby club in the west of the city and Leyton Orient, then known as Clapton Orient.
Orient might not be the most glamorous of clubs, but I have a new found respect for them having watched this show. Ten Orient players enlisted into a footballers Battalion among them Richard McFadden. He had moved south from Glasgow pre-war to look for work and played for the O's. He was killed during the war but not before winning the Military Medal and reaching the rank of RSM. Some fascinating insights were provided by his neice who still attends games. I was impressed by the way they took pride in the military achievements of their players and the remembrance of the Somme
It's a London based show, but Hearts' response got a brief mention. The only disappointment would be that this show could have stretched to an hour given the material at hand.
Highly recommended.
