A couple of quotations from Catrine Clay's book, Trautmann's Journey: From Hitler Youthe to FA Cup Legend. There's a couple of factual errors, but it seems to give a good sense of the times.
The 27th of April 1946 was a great day for the British nation and for POW Trautmann as well. The FA Cup had started up again that year and it was the Cup Final, Charlton Athletic v. Derby County , broadcast on the BBC from the Empire Stadium at Wembley straight into the camp canteen at Ashton-in-Makerfield. Bernd, racing back early from his driving duties, settled himself at a table along with other football Kameraden, lit up a Woodbine and took a swig from his bottle of beer. For the time being at least, life was good. At the Empire Stadium the 100,000-strong crowd, all in their cloth caps, sang 'Abide With Me'. The hymn rose up like a prayer to God, and it was enough to send shivers up and down your spine, so thrilling was that sound. Bernd thought he'd never heard anything like it, except perhaps 'Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!' at Nazi rallies, and yet it wasn't the same, not the same at all, though he couldn't put his finger on how. The King had arrived, said the wireless commentator, wearing a grey overcoat and a bowler hat; apparently that was significant, though for the life of him Bernd couldn't imagine why. Then the match started, and it was no different to any other match he'd ever listened to crouched over the wireless set at Wischusenstrasse 32, and he shouted and swore just the same as then, thumping the table and laughing out loud when Ted Turner scored twice in one minute, once for his own side, Derby County, and once for Charlton Athletic*. Football was football, wherever you were. In the end Derby County won 4-1, and everyone was happy. Everyone except Charlton Athletic, that is.
p217 * It was, of course, our Bert Turner who scored at both ends.
The 'old' Bert came out in the match against Charlton Athletic at Maine Road on 27 November 1954. The referee was a Mr G.W. Pullin of Bristol, and Bert had already had trouble with some of his decisions in the 1st half, but in the second he couldn't stand it any longer. 'Whoever made you a referee?' he shouted at Pullin, glaring him in the face till Roy Paul calmed him down. Charlton were four goals up* when Pullin awarded them a penalty. Bert, beside himself shouted and jeered at Pullin again, and would have hit him if Jimmy Meadows hadn't stood between them. Trautmann was booked and pandemonium broke out in the stadium. Bert sat on his haunches in the penalty area challenging Pullin to send him off, which he sensibly decided against, but when Eddie Firmani took the penalty for Charlton Athletic, Bert scowled and shrugged his shoulders and didn't even try to stop the goal - he was way, way past that. After the final whistle, as Pullin walked off the field and down into the tunnel to the dressing rooms, he was tripped by some unknown person and stumbled against Bert, who struck him across the face. Pullin was shocked and livid. The subsequent inquiry suspended Trautmann for a week, causing him to miss two important games. Bert felt ashamed of his behaviour and upset at the black mark against the 'good German', but deep down he reckoned it was worth it.
pp287-8 * We were actually 3 up, as Man City had scored first. Charlton won 5-1.
Comments
The 27th of April 1946 was a great day for the British nation and for POW Trautmann as well. The FA Cup had started up again that year and it was the Cup Final, Charlton Athletic v. Derby County , broadcast on the BBC from the Empire Stadium at Wembley straight into the camp canteen at Ashton-in-Makerfield. Bernd, racing back early from his driving duties, settled himself at a table along with other football Kameraden, lit up a Woodbine and took a swig from his bottle of beer. For the time being at least, life was good. At the Empire Stadium the 100,000-strong crowd, all in their cloth caps, sang 'Abide With Me'. The hymn rose up like a prayer to God, and it was enough to send shivers up and down your spine, so thrilling was that sound. Bernd thought he'd never heard anything like it, except perhaps 'Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!' at Nazi rallies, and yet it wasn't the same, not the same at all, though he couldn't put his finger on how. The King had arrived, said the wireless commentator, wearing a grey overcoat and a bowler hat; apparently that was significant, though for the life of him Bernd couldn't imagine why. Then the match started, and it was no different to any other match he'd ever listened to crouched over the wireless set at Wischusenstrasse 32, and he shouted and swore just the same as then, thumping the table and laughing out loud when Ted Turner scored twice in one minute, once for his own side, Derby County, and once for Charlton Athletic*. Football was football, wherever you were. In the end Derby County won 4-1, and everyone was happy. Everyone except Charlton Athletic, that is.
p217
* It was, of course, our Bert Turner who scored at both ends.
The 'old' Bert came out in the match against Charlton Athletic at Maine Road on 27 November 1954. The referee was a Mr G.W. Pullin of Bristol, and Bert had already had trouble with some of his decisions in the 1st half, but in the second he couldn't stand it any longer. 'Whoever made you a referee?' he shouted at Pullin, glaring him in the face till Roy Paul calmed him down. Charlton were four goals up* when Pullin awarded them a penalty. Bert, beside himself shouted and jeered at Pullin again, and would have hit him if Jimmy Meadows hadn't stood between them. Trautmann was booked and pandemonium broke out in the stadium. Bert sat on his haunches in the penalty area challenging Pullin to send him off, which he sensibly decided against, but when Eddie Firmani took the penalty for Charlton Athletic, Bert scowled and shrugged his shoulders and didn't even try to stop the goal - he was way, way past that. After the final whistle, as Pullin walked off the field and down into the tunnel to the dressing rooms, he was tripped by some unknown person and stumbled against Bert, who struck him across the face. Pullin was shocked and livid. The subsequent inquiry suspended Trautmann for a week, causing him to miss two important games. Bert felt ashamed of his behaviour and upset at the black mark against the 'good German', but deep down he reckoned it was worth it.
pp287-8
* We were actually 3 up, as Man City had scored first. Charlton won 5-1.