Suthers and Fanny - thank you for the kind words and thoughts about my Dad. The plaque is a great idea and a credit to the club and those that organised it.
Thought the ceremony on the pitch was very moving today yesterday. It was great to see the Loos Football. Super speech from Clive. The minutes silence was kept impeccably and the last post was very moving. The overall tone was superb. Well done to everyone involved.
Thought the ceremony on the pitch was very moving today yesterday. It was great to see the Loos Football. Super speech from Clive. The minutes silence was kept impeccably and the last post was very moving. The overall tone was superb. Well done to everyone involved.
A good speech from SG3toSE7 too. The stone is there now so hope fans take a few minutes to take a look next time they are at the Valley
Very proud to have had lunch with the Piper, bugler and the two soldiers you saw on the pitch.
I also had lunch with this as well
Well done to Clive and all. The small unveiling ceremony was just right and I liked the bit when Clive said that the new plaque was now being looked after by the safe hands of Sam (the Bartram statue).
PS....Did the ball get really heavy when wet and did you head the lace....?? Or is it all just a myth? I've gots to know...!!
Thanks all and we were all surprised by how many turned up to the unveiling, the rufty tufty Royal Anglian Bugler with Afghan experience was so nervous we had to find support for him at short notice from the ATC.
star Veteran Donald Hunt shed a tear when on the pitch and the London Irish Rifles guys wanted to thank all for the reception they and the football got, all involved were overwhelmed by the occasion and how it was received.
The person who I think really deserves more praise is Mick Everett how he works as hard as he does on match days is beyond me
Overall well done Charlton we really are a club to be proud of on days like yesterday
A good speech from SG3toSE7 too. The stone is there now so hope fans take a few minutes to take a look next time they are at the Valley
Very proud to have had lunch with the Piper, bugler and the two soldiers you saw on the pitch.
I also had lunch with this as well
Well done to Clive and all. The small unveiling ceremony was just right and I liked the bit when Clive said that the new plaque was now being looked after by the safe hands of Sam (the Bartram statue).
PS....Did the ball get really heavy when wet and did you head the lace....?? Or is it all just a myth? I've gots to know...!!
Was also lucky enough to be in the boardroom today (thanks Simonsen!) and felt fortunate to be there on this day of all days. Clive and team should be justly proud of what they have achieved in finally getting the club a lasting memorial to our fallen. Had a nice chat with Don (the KOSB veteran) and his daughter in the evening - Don is a lovely man, who was very proud to be involved yesterday. Also chatted briefly with Mr Mandaric and Roy Hattersley from the oppo today, who both totally understood the value and importance of what Clive with the club's support have done. Well done all.
....Did the ball get really heavy when wet and did you head the lace....?? Or is it all just a myth? I've gots to know...!!
Yes it is true. I had a couple of those balls when I was a kid - not because I was of that era, but because my dad was an older man with a strong sense of tradition. So, whilst my mates had those ubiquitous orange plastic Wembley balls, I was re-living my dad's childhood with a panel ball (like the one above) and t-ball, like this one:
My recollection is that they were really heavy even when dry; those leather panels were really thick. Also the rubber bladder inside was a lot thicker than you might imagine. When the leather got scuffed, which obviously it did because in the '70s you could play football in the street, it would soak up water really easily. To remedy this you'd rub Dubbin into the ball. Or worse, if you came from a poor family like me, goose grease. Did the lace hurt when you headed it? You'd better believe it. It wasn't quite so bad if you had a flat-shoe lace in there but for heavier use the lace would be made of leather and that was bloody murder if you caught that just wrong.
Thought the ceremony on the pitch was very moving today yesterday. It was great to see the Loos Football. Super speech from Clive. The minutes silence was kept impeccably and the last post was very moving. The overall tone was superb. Well done to everyone involved.
Spot on. The playing of the Last Post brought a big lump to my throat. I'm sure many of us were thinking also of family now passed who were Addicks back in their day. My grandad served in the first world war, and my dad in the second world war - both Charlton to the bone who would, like me, have been extra proud of their club yesterday.
Good to hear all the good words and that people felt both the unveiling and pitch side ceremony worked.
Echo what a good job Mick Everett does every match day (even when sneaking out for a fag checking crowd flow in Harvey Gardens). A diary of a match day would make a fascinating story.
Clive made two great speeches and worked very hard getting all the people there.
But these things don't come for free.
The memorial was a project delivered by the Charlton Athletic Museum, not the football club, and while we at the Museum are very grateful for all the support from the club there is no direct financial contribution by CAFC.
Saturday cost over £400 just to pay to get the bugler, serving soldiers, WWI re-enactment guys, the piper, the Loos Ball etc there. That's a lot of money for a new and small volunteer charity such as the Charlton Athletic Museum.
It cost another £150 to hire a van to move the memorial to the Valley a few months ago (and at 120 kilos it is bloody heavy)
So if you enjoyed it and feel it was a good thing then can I ask that you support the museum if you are able.
That could be by bidding on the auctions or if you prefer making a direct donation to:
NATWEST BANK: Account Name: The Charlton Athletic Museum Sort Code: 60-16-03 Account No: 7377 2593
or you can send a cheque payable to "Charlton Athletic Museum" C/O the Valley
Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any donations
The ball has just starred on the antique roadshow along with some of its history, valued at between £10 and £15k. Thought the ceremony was very moving and appropriate for the occassion.
I thought the 95 year old Charlton supporter was very spirited. The blokes pushing him nearly pushed him into the automatic sprinklers, which would have been very unfortunate.
One bugler would have been fine. (One of the buglers took a few moments to get properly into tune). Clive historian was good but it was a shame that some Sheffield Wednesday players were not added as it would have brought the whole ground together. Good to remember. My family lived just down the road from the Royal Arsenal and main railway line and we have a lot of family stories from the bombing in the second world war. It is good to reflect on the loss and sacrifice.
Not sure about the whole clapping the ball thing. That was odd. Although the memorial was a little untogether in places, it was overall moving. That it is the main thing, that the loss and sacrifice is remembered.
Comments
A very fitting tribute
Hope to be present on Saturday
An exhibition of art from the front line, 1914/2013
starting the 8th Nov, 12-4pm,
at the Gerald moore gallery Mottingham.
A good speach from SG3toSE7 too. The stone is there now so hope fans take a few minutes to take a look next time they are at the Valley
Very proud to have had lunch with the Piper, bugler and the two soldiers you saw on the pitch.
I also had lunch with this as well
todayyesterday. It was great to see the Loos Football. Super speech from Clive. The minutes silence was kept impeccably and the last post was very moving. The overall tone was superb. Well done to everyone involved.PS....Did the ball get really heavy when wet and did you head the lace....?? Or is it all just a myth? I've gots to know...!!
star Veteran Donald Hunt shed a tear when on the pitch and the London Irish Rifles guys wanted to thank all for the reception they and the football got, all involved were overwhelmed by the occasion and how it was received.
The person who I think really deserves more praise is Mick Everett how he works as hard as he does on match days is beyond me
Overall well done Charlton we really are a club to be proud of on days like yesterday
My recollection is that they were really heavy even when dry; those leather panels were really thick. Also the rubber bladder inside was a lot thicker than you might imagine. When the leather got scuffed, which obviously it did because in the '70s you could play football in the street, it would soak up water really easily. To remedy this you'd rub Dubbin into the ball. Or worse, if you came from a poor family like me, goose grease. Did the lace hurt when you headed it? You'd better believe it. It wasn't quite so bad if you had a flat-shoe lace in there but for heavier use the lace would be made of leather and that was bloody murder if you caught that just wrong.
Wasn't there yesterday but would like to see
But why is it very untidy and dirty already?
What was untidy about it?
Echo what a good job Mick Everett does every match day (even when
sneaking out for a fagchecking crowd flow in Harvey Gardens). A diary of a match day would make a fascinating story.Clive made two great speeches and worked very hard getting all the people there.
But these things don't come for free.
The memorial was a project delivered by the Charlton Athletic Museum, not the football club, and while we at the Museum are very grateful for all the support from the club there is no direct financial contribution by CAFC.
Saturday cost over £400 just to pay to get the bugler, serving soldiers, WWI re-enactment guys, the piper, the Loos Ball etc there. That's a lot of money for a new and small volunteer charity such as the Charlton Athletic Museum.
It cost another £150 to hire a van to move the memorial to the Valley a few months ago (and at 120 kilos it is bloody heavy)
So if you enjoyed it and feel it was a good thing then can I ask that you support the museum if you are able.
That could be by bidding on the auctions or if you prefer making a direct donation to:
NATWEST BANK:
Account Name: The Charlton Athletic Museum
Sort Code: 60-16-03
Account No: 7377 2593
or you can send a cheque payable to "Charlton Athletic Museum" C/O the Valley
Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any donations
You will never be forgotten!!!!
If you get the chance have a listen to Clive speak on the Charlton Live podcast, he is absolutely fascinating.
I thought the 95 year old Charlton supporter was very spirited. The blokes pushing him nearly pushed him into the automatic sprinklers, which would have been very unfortunate.
One bugler would have been fine. (One of the buglers took a few moments to get properly into tune). Clive historian was good but it was a shame that some Sheffield Wednesday players were not added as it would have brought the whole ground together. Good to remember. My family lived just down the road from the Royal Arsenal and main railway line and we have a lot of family stories from the bombing in the second world war. It is good to reflect on the loss and sacrifice.
Not sure about the whole clapping the ball thing. That was odd. Although the memorial was a little untogether in places, it was overall moving. That it is the main thing, that the loss and sacrifice is remembered.