Respect!

I was at the Black Country Living Museum ( http://www.bclm.co.uk/ )on the evening of August 4th (coincidentally the day I got married on) to commemorate the first day of Britain’s involvement in the Great War (believed at the time to be the “war to end all wars” (not sure what happened there then) and it was a poignant, memorable simple event. This article is about a veteran of another conflict and follows up a post I put up earlier ( https://saddlersfan.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/d-day-veteran-ron-gets-vip-treat-from-saddlers-after-being-spotted-on-tv/ )

Splendid move by the club I support!

Walsall fans show support for brave Normandy veteran

Normandy veteran and life-long Saddlers fan Ron Davies was given a rousing reception when he made a guest appearance at the Banks’s Stadium.

Navy veteran Ron Davies takes the applause from 6,500 fans before Walsall’s home game with Aston Villa this week.

The father-of-two received a resounding round of applause before the start of this week’s friendly with Aston Villa that was attended by more than 6,500 football fans.

A proud supporter, he and members of his family were welcomed to the ground by club chiefs after he was spotted on television talking about his love for the club while in Normandy, France, at the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Ron Davies in the Navy 1944 age 18.

The 88-year-old was among a group who returned there with the Normandy Veterans’ Association to pay tribute to fallen comrades in June.

Bosses at Walsall FC then launched a campaign on social media to track him down and discovered that he lived just a stone’s throw from the ground.

And on his return from France, manager Dean Smith and club secretary Dan Mole paid him a surprise visit to present him with a scarf, a signed football and a club tie.

They also invited him to be guest of honour at the match won 1-0 by Villa. He was joined at the game by his wife of 57 years Dot, aged 86, and son Ian, aged 55, and his nephew John Davies, aged 71.

Mr Davies said: “I love the club. I’ve been watching the team since I was six years old. I watched my first match in 1932 at the old Fellows Park ground. I still take a good look when I go pass the site. It holds a lot of happy memories for me. My dad used to take me.

“I appreciate what the club has done for me. They gave me and my family a nice evening and I want to thank them very much for that. I never expected anything like this to come from me just speaking to somebody in Normandy and folks back at home watching me doing it. I’m also looking forward to the new season.”

Walsall FC fan and Navy veteran Ron Davies at his home in Walstead Road, Walsall.

During the Second World War Mr Davies served on the destroyer HMS Southdown after joining the Royal Navy, aged 17, with his friend Jeff Holt in April, 1943. His ship convoyed troops who went on to land at Sword Beach the following year.

Mr Davies added:“We arrived at the landings the day after the operation started. We took convoys from The Solent at Portsmouth and did various trips with supplies.

“We performed a shuttle service. As the war progressed, we sailed further along and went to places like Dieppe and Ostend to stop the Germans. We also used to escort mine sweepers from the Humber estuary across to Germany.

“The Germans used to send patrols in E-boats in groups and they used to attack our convoys as they sailed up and down the east coast. My ship used to provide protection and we used to catch the Germans out there. We came under attack may times.”

As a young man Mr Davies was a keen footballer and won team medals in the Navy and, after he left in 1947, he won a medal while playing for Harwich Rangers in Essex. He had been working at a bakery in the town after military service before returning to Walsall in the late 1940s.

Mr Mole said: “Arranging the applause for Ron was the least we could do for someone who is a long-standing supporter and who has served his country in the way that he has.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D-Day veteran Ron gets VIP treat from Saddlers after being spotted on TV

 

I was pretty determined, when I set out on this blog that most of the words would be my own, but following the last post (if you’re English that could be so ironic) I may need to borrow large chunks from other sources.

When I sat here and typed out https://saddlersfan.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/en-route-to-brazil/ I was responding to TV reporting on a momentous occasion. It seems that, somewhere in the wings at or around Bescot Stadium, others were also taking notes. Both local daily newspaper The Express and Star and the official Walsall web-site http://www.saddlers.co.uk have followed up the marvellous boost given to the club by Normandy veteran Ron Davies.

What follows is taken from both of these sources.

First, the Express and Star;

“When D-Day veteran Ron Davies heard a knock at his front door, he had no idea of the surprise that was waiting for him.

Ron Davies speaking on TV

But the lifelong Walsall FC supporter had been tracked down by club bosses who wanted to show their gratitude for his sacrifices in the Normandy landings.

He was seen talking about his love for the club on TV during the 70th anniversary events in Normandy – and Saddlers fans launched an immediate campaign to track him down, calling for the club to honour him.

Officials took note and set off on their own quest to track down the 88-year-old to surprise him.

They put out a message on social media for help in contacting Mr Davies, who lives just yards from the Banks’s Stadium.

And after getting his address, they wasted no time in turning up on his doorstep. He was presented with a scarf, signed football and a club tie, and will be a guest of honour ahead of the pre-season match with Aston Villa.

Mr Davies said he was ‘very surprised’ to see manager Dean Smith and secretary Daniel Mole as he opened the door. After speaking about the club on TV, he never expected to get such a response. And he says his heart has always been with the club.

Mr Davies, whose father Jack lost a leg in the Battle of the Somme, joined the Royal Navy in 1943 aged 17.

He served on the HMS Southdown Hunt-class destroyer and his ship convoyed troops who then went on to land at Sword Beach.

Mr Davies, who hails from Aldridge, left the navy in 1947 and worked as a baker in Harwich.

He then returned to Walsall and was a driver, engineer and machine tool fitter during his working life.

He has regularly attended Walsall games, having a season ticket for a while, with the play-off victory against Reading at the Millennium Stadium one of the highlights.

“It was absolutely brilliant, it was one of the games I remember most, it was great,” he said.

“My heart has always been with Walsall. I used to go to all the games, even the away ones.”

Walsall FC secretary Daniel Mole said: “We thought as a club we should honour Ron.

“After what he has done for country and club we thought this was a small token of our appreciation and gratitude.

Mr Davies, who is married to Dot, aged 86, and has sons Ian, 54, and Ross, 50, was part of a group from the Normandy Veterans Association who were flown into France in private jets by millionaire advertising agency boss Trevor Beattie.

 

Next from the Walsall F.C. web-site:

 

D Day veteran, Ron Davies, honoured by his beloved club…

AMIDST all of the excellent coverage to mark the recent 70th Anniversary of D Day, a television interview with D Day veteran, Ron Davies, not only revealed him to be a fantastic character who did so much for his country, but also a keen Saddlers’ supporter!

The conversation flowed as freely as the cups of tea as a range of subjects were discussed, particularly football, something very close to Ron’s heart.

Mr. Davies also spoke about his war-time memories and showed his guests the collection of medals that are so dear to him.

“Ron is a true hero,” said Dean Smith. “We’re proud of all of our supporters, but the sacrifices that Ron and others like him made during the War must never be forgotten and make him extra special.

“Once he announced his support of The Saddlers on television, there was a real ground-swell for us to track him down and honour him in the correct way.

“We actually managed to find him via his hair-dresser and we decided to go around his house straight away and thank him in person.

“We took along a signed ball, scarf and a club tie, plus Ron and four guests will be given the full VIP treatment at our pre-season friendly with Aston Villa in August. If his legs are up to it, we’d also like to get him out on the pitch at half-time to get the applause that he so richly deserves… although the way he was talking, he still fancies his chances in the team!”

Mr. Davies will be coming along to the stadium soon to select his seat for the season as we honour this very special supporter.

Dean Smith with some of Ron Davies’ medals…

It is absolutely right and proper that Walsall Football Club, my club, makes this gesture!  Well done to all of the fans for making this happen; especially to the hairdresser who provided the address. It goes to show that as well as a sporting enterprise we are a community – a major part of a community. One that stretches both forwards (the much vaunted plans we are hearing of the “football philosophy”) and backwards into history.

Every programme last year featured a player from our hundred and twenty five years of history. But this is about more than just sport. It is about celebrating local people… and this guy was so cheerful and modest on the TV programme.

But, I can’t help thinking:

Doesn’t he deserve a little bit more?

Would it be so non-business minded to give him a season ticket. What would we lose? Exactly? Revenue?

Somehow I doubt that we will have so many sell out games we couldn’t afford to give away a seat. And, just maybe he would bring others too. Family? Friends? Who would be paying and increasing income.

Coventry ? Away?

5^th March, 2014

I’m standing by my allotment shed discussing allotment politics when my mobile phone blurts out its text-received beep-beep. “That’ll be Cully,” I think, “he’s getting back to me about going to the match tonight …”

Wrong! It’s my wife, letting me know she’s “going to Deb’s for  a coffee …”

I am, a little harshly I realise, jolted to think of our daughter’s observation about the facile nature of some social networking comments of the “feeling happy/eating a biscuit” variety. Largely pointless, except perhaps to reassure the individual “adding the comment that they have a value because they have posted something in the Ethernet. And the inevitable sadness that value is based on putting something out there that has very little real value. Like a blog? Like a self-published book ? More on that perhaps later.

I get a little stick about going to the game tonight. It’s not easy being a Walsall supporter. But then it never has been.

Eventually Cully rings. He can’t make it. Working in Solihull until, er probably 6.30. Ironically for a Coventry supporter. But this “supporter isn’t going either. And that’s another digression. Coventry City. Once one of the most successful teams in this part of the world are fallen a long way from grace these days. They were docked points at the beginning of this season for “financial irregularities last season (basically signing and playing players they could not afford: cheating perhaps by another, better dressed name), they no longer play in Coventry, but ground share with lowly (even compared with Walsall F.C.) Northampton Town. The mighty (and I’ve been there for a Bruce Springstein concert) Ricoh Arena management asked for more rent and Coventry couldn’t (or wouldn’t) pay. For a while it was like a poker game, maybe it was  a bluff… but no. So Sky Blues home games (!) are no longer played in Coventry. “Exiled,” as Express and Star reporter Matt Maher has it, going on to say in this evening’s sports pages:

“ This isn’t the place to delve into the hows and whys of Coventry’s current plight, a classic modern football tale of moneymen putting their own self-interests ahead of a club’s well-being and where – as always – the biggest losers are the fans.”

So – just me and my brother then, tickets already purchased.

When I get to his house he’s on a call. He works for a massive multi-national company, usually from home and this happens a lot. At least I believe it does. I am sure he could tell me more but he would have to kill me.

We plan the route on the fly, avoiding what BBC Radio WM says is the M6 closed because of a serious accident and get to the “compact” Sixfields (is it a stadium (as per traditional football scuttlebutt) or Sixfields Leisure as the local, rather poor signs state?

Car parking is very close and at £4 quite reasonable. The ground is actually part of an out-of-town shopping and entertainments estate: there’s a multi-screen cinema, several universal supermarkets, a couple of U.S franchised eating places and, let’s say the other kind of places that you find in every out-of-town territory.

The youngsters selling the programmes, when asked confidently state that they are working for a company that works with the Cobblers (Northampton Town) and quite happily show us to the “away” supporter’s entrance. Seems to me, I am thinking, we are all away supporters in this game. And we probably followed each other down the M6/M1 route … and are probably
parking side by side here. Behind the goals and once ensconced in the ground, having been told by  a hi-viz vested official that you can “sit where you want” we look at the illuminations of the logos and signs from the outlets on the hill opposite. The hill on which allegedly a determined group of Coventry City supporters gather to watch a fraction of the pitch when Coventry play. It’s their version of a protest. They will not pay to go in, thus giving money to the owners because they want their team back in their city. But tonight ? Too dark to see if anyone is there or not. The seats are closely arranged, the one immediately behind me being taken by a tall guy and his knees, quite accidentally are in my shoulder blades for most of the first half … and when I’m catching up with the programme and the paper at half time I am unintentionally invading the space of the lady in front of me. Shame the seats are not off-set. Before kick-off we buy food – a generous hot dog, artistically patterned with mustard and coffee. The range of pies on offer includes steak and ale. The programme incidentally is a fine one: there are ten pages with Walsall information and it is a glossy high quality read. It is called PUSB but there is no explanation: an acronym something, something Sky Blues maybe.

The Guy on the public address is overly enthusiastic for such a small crowd: almost American and the gimmick of presenting ten footballs to the crowd during half time, which, somebody  near me suggests cruelly, means every Coventry fan gets a ball (such is Saddlers humour). I wonder whether it could be organised for all ten balls to be thrown onto the pitch during the second when play is over that side (such is my divergent thinking).

Apart from the chap with “Steward” on his hi-viz back, there are other staff. In their bright vests and for some reason I cannot quite explain they remind me of Lego characters. There’s one marked “Perimeter”, another a long-legged, black trousered blonde with “Stand Manager”. Mr Perimeter is chatting amicably with a Walsall fan and, it seems encouraging him to be standing. The P.A. reminds us that this is a no-smoking, all-seated venue and politely invites us to take our seats. Mr Perimeter and this animated fan continue to swap chatter.

 

Cannot remember the last time I was in a ground that has floodlights at each corner (like here): the old traditional arrangement. The quality of light on the pitch is noticeably unequal. Beyond the lights the new moon, bringing my grandfather to mind as always, is veiled by light cloud.

The first half is poor from our point of view. We are penned back by an efficient Coventry team and seem short of ideas and energy, a lot of passing, which we normally do so well, goes wrong. Refereeing decisions are, at best eccentric and – unsurprisingly become the butt of Walsall chanting. (Our “choir” is always inventive and usually topical). This evening we have the

“If you’ve paid your rent, stand up

If you’ve paid your rent stand up” among others.

We go in at half time a goal down.

But come out faster, slicker more aggressive.

There are no ball boys; at one stage a well wrapped up photographer has to hurdle wall and ranks of seats to retrieve the ball (no spectators in this stand). No ball boys Is that because tis is an evening kick off and they have school tomorrow, or because local kids will ball boy for Northampton, but not Coventry? Note to self: check at other evening games to see if there are ball boys.

Players who had  a quiet first half (Febian Brandy, Milan Lalkovic) are in the thick of the action more and more often and we go on the hunt, putting pressure on the Coventry defence. Which is sound. Mal Benning, our young full back came towards us on a steaming run, had a shot saved and put the rebound into the net.

We were on top and significantly so. Pushing up. But a couple of the team started to look tired. Lalkovic – on a season long loan from Chelsea, Craig Westcarr … and we’re missing Sam Mantom, suspended after being sent off against Preston on Saturday.

Couple of substitutions. Ngoo (on loan from Liverpool) a young, tall aggressively confident “giraffe” of a player coming on for Craig Westcarr and Troy Hewitt for Lalkovic.

But while we were pushing forward, wouldn’t you know it ? They crept up and scored the winner.

We kept on hammering away and there was a tremendous volley of shots one after the other in the final minutes. The sound of the boot hitting the ball carrying the short distance amazing. But, frankly well organised defending and luck meant we were going home 2- 1 losers. James Chambers has been sterling throughout, looking unruffled and fit, elegant yet determined.

M6 closed on the way home, so a lengthy diversion down the dependable A5, including a second diversion down the old A5.  The road we were taught at school built by the Romans; straight, efficient. My old route to work. The motorbike shop is still there, so is the Vauxhall garage; the one where, when I couldn’t pay for a routine service I was vouched for by the receptionist (who had been the “tea monitor” at a school nearby where I worked and could remember me (also perhaps that I rarely had money to pay my weekly tea fees!)

Tamworth was also once one of the most significant towns in England: capital of Mercia. We wondered how many people now learn about this. And talk drifted on to the rights and wrongs – as we see them – of Scottish independence (and what might happen to the Scottish Nationalist Party, a vote against Scottish independence would take away the key plank of SNP ambition of course … so what future ?), the events in the Ukraine (feted by our media as a “sovereign state” (what? I am thinking, they have no sovereign …) apparently invaded by Russia. The truth may be somewhat different, but I have two thoughts on the matter.

First: if all of the Spanish-speaking people in say, Texas made a fuss and expressed a wish to join Mexico (unlikely but bear with me eh?) what would Barak Obama’s reaction be? Probably to send troops in. Now I realise the situation is not exactly the same but it is worth thinking on. The uprising in Kiev deposed what, when all is said and done and whatever we feel about the situation, was a democratically elected government. So, to this way of thinking we in the west are supporting an undemocratic regime.

Secondly: I believe that Germany was able to “annexe” Sudatenland (then part of Czechoslovakia) because Hitler “proved” most of the subjects there were, essentially Germans, German speaking for example …

OK two opposite cases and each equally provocative …

We decide that the outcome is likely to be an annexation of the Crimean peninsular (strategically important to Russia) and a reduced Ukraine being adopted swiftly by the EU. We cannot afford to “annoy” Russia as they are the source of a lot of our oil (and so power) … and we seem to be back in the realms of the moneymen running things and the ordinary people getting hurt (or, indeed, killed).

Bring on Saturday, the Wolves and the sell-out crowd.