13 hours ago, bluegraham said:

 

Mate of mine is in that video.

Had a feeling you might have  known someone in it lol 

2 hours ago, bluegraham said:

Had a feeling you might have  known someone in it lol 

Haha Ive been in a few videos myself, some are bloody embarrassing haha

20 minutes ago, Carshalton Blue said:

Haha Ive been in a few videos myself, some are bloody embarrassing haha

Had a feeling you might have  known someone in it lol 

 

Remember being on video trying to approach  Celtic outside brogans had 3 quarter  length pants my first thought was f**k me I'm pale lol.  

1967-1968 team photo.

On ‎25‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 07:58, Boyne said:

 

Another footballer who signed for the 17th Middlesex Regiment ,the "Footballers Regiment" was former Chelsea goal keeper Bob "Pom-Pom" Whiting.
Born in January 1884 in Canning Town, as Robert Greenhalf he took his step fathers name Whiting. Bob Whiting followed family tradition and entered the local shipyard as a labourer. Selected as goalkeeper for the works football team, Thames Ironworks, (West Ham United from 1900) he went on to play for South West Ham FC and Tunbridge Wells Rangers.
Bob was moving up, fast. After being scouted to play in goal for Chelsea FC in 1906, Whiting married his wife Nellie the following year.
Ruthless business
Such was the power of his kicking from goal that Bob Whiting soon acquired the nickname 'Pom Pom' (after the four-barrelled two pounder rapid firing naval gun of the same name). Chelsea fans revelled at his piston-like ability to kick deep into the opposition's half.
But team selection was a ruthless business. After only one season 'Pom Pom' was dropped from the Chelsea side. In 1908, with his wife Nellie and his two sons still in Tunbridge Wells, he was transferred to Brighton and Hove Albion.
In January 1915 Bob Whiting signed up to fight in WW1
After almost a year's infantry training in England, Robert Whiting - promoted to lance sergeant in June 1915 - was sent with his battalion to France in November 1915.
Whilst serving in the filthy trenches Whiting contracted scabies and was evacuated in late May 1916 for treatment at the Eastern Military Hospital at Brighton.
Nellie was able to stay in Brighton to be near him and it was at this time that she fell pregnant with their third son Joe.
When the time came to return to the trenches, Pom Pom could not bear the prospect of leaving his pregnant Nellie behind and so went absent without leave from the hospital - for 133 days.
A serious military crime which carried the possibility of a death sentence.
'
Whiting was arrested for desertion and sent for trial in December 1916. At his court martial he was demoted to private and sentenced to nine months hard labour. 
His absence and detention coincided with the great Somme offensive from 1 July to 18 November 1916 - in which 420,000 British soldiers had been killed. Pre-war sporting hero Pom Pom Whiting was labelled a coward by his military colleagues.
However, the British Army was in dire need of able-bodied soldiers, even those convicted of serious military offences. His case was passed up the chain of command to General Hubert Gough (commander of the British Fifth Army) for final review. Gough suspended his sentence.
In March, Whiting was returned to B Company, 17th Middlesex (6th Brigade, 2nd Division, Fifth Army) in France, just in time for the bloody, month long, offensive at Arras from 9 April to 16 May 1917.
The big push at Arras was launched as a diversionary thrust in support of the huge French Nivelle offensive on the Aisne. Initially, the offensive was successful. For three weeks prior to the attack, 3,000 British guns fired 2.7 million shells onto the formidable German Hindenburg Line positions.
On 9 April, the British divisions advanced under a creeping artillery barrage, from a deep network of concealed chalk caves, to penetrate four miles of German-held territory, taking 9,000 prisoners in the process.

Slow to respond, the German Army eventually counter attacked on 23 April. The British advance stalled in the teeth of heavy opposition. A vicious battle of attrition set in; the Nivelle offensive it was designed to support faltered and then failed.
The battle inflicted 159,000 British, Australian and Canadian and over 100,000 German casualties. At Arras, 4,076 British soldiers were killed each day, an attrition rate even higher than on the Somme. The bill for Arras also included 'Pom Pom' Whiting.
On 28 April 1917, Private Robert Whiting was among 462 men from the Middlesex Regiment killed only one officer and 41 men returning unscathed from the German lines.also killed that day was Private Charles Edward Green, a former right-back with Millwall F.C. 
Whiting was reported as being buried near Vimy Ridge but his remains were never recovered.
Back in Brighton, Nellie Whiting not only grieved for the loss of her husband but was also forced to endure unfounded local speculation that Bob had been shot for desertion.
She was obliged to publish a letter in the Brighton Argus from his commanding officer attesting to his courageous end.
With no remains ever found, Bob Whiting was listed on the imposing Arras Memorial, along with 35,942 other missing British Tommies from Britain and its Commonwealth.

Great read mate. Cheers for posting it.

I love the historical gems found on here.

Oh wait a minute, we haven't got a history  according to some...

On ‎22‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 13:50, Jezz said:

Chelsea v Bolton on a mud-splattered at Stamford Bridge in 1957.

Can't imagine some of todays so called 'superstars' wanting to play in those conditions.

I think the ref was having a laugh.Even for those days that was unplayable lol.

20 hours ago, Carshalton Blue said:

Haha Ive been in a few videos myself, some are bloody embarrassing haha

Had a feeling you might have  known someone in it lol 

 

Remember being on video trying to approach  Celtic outside brogans had 3 quarter  length pants my first thought was f**k me I'm pale lol.  

2 hours ago, bluegraham said:

Had a feeling you might have  known someone in it lol 

 

Remember being on video trying to approach  Celtic outside brogans had 3 quarter  length pants my first thought was f**k me I'm pale lol.  

Haha, Man City away on the court footage & two games filmed celebrating a goal & win & loads of Police camera's is my claim to fame haha.

Liverpool in 82

Canners

 

John Neal

 

Tambling scores against Arsenal

 

On 11/27/2016 at 07:28, erskblue said:

Great read mate. Cheers for posting it.

I love the historical gems found on here.

Oh wait a minute, we haven't got a history  according to some...

@erskblue You're welcome, mate. This is a great thread. Combines two of my great interests: Chelsea and history.

Slightly off subject but there was an interesting programme on BBC 4 last Tuesday (link below) about footballers and rugby union players who signed up during WW1.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b045ghyr/world-war-i-at-home-when-the-whistle-blew

No Chelsea players are mentioned in the programme but a number did sign up. Fulham Town Hall is mentioned as it was where a number of players from Orient signed up. There was also a picture of the poster below.

1983

Footage of Moscow Dynamo in London in 1945.

Footage of the Moscow Dynamo match in1945. Commentary in Russian ( I think !)

@erskblue, thanks for posting the videos of Moscow Dynamo. Great footage. What a game to have been at. I've mentioned before that a guy I know - sadly he passed away earlier this year - was at the match. He got in for free like a few thousand others did. It's estimated that a 100,000 people were in the ground.

Just now, Boyne said:

@erskblue, thanks for posting the videos of Moscow Dynamo. Great footage. What a game to have been at. I've mentioned before that a guy I know - sadly he passed away earlier this year - was at the match. He got in for free like a few thousand others did. It's estimated that a 100,000 people were in the ground.

When you see pictures of people I assume men watching from the roof of the stand !

 

Lets face it some of them would have trained as say 'Para's or Commandos in the Second World War. So climbing up onto the top of a relatively small building, wouldn't have been that hard !

To them I mean !!

14 hours ago, Boyne said:

@erskblue You're welcome, mate. This is a great thread. Combines two of my great interests: Chelsea and history.

Slightly off subject but there was an interesting programme on BBC 4 last Tuesday (link below) about footballers and rugby union players who signed up during WW1.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b045ghyr/world-war-i-at-home-when-the-whistle-blew

No Chelsea players are mentioned in the programme but a number did sign up. Fulham Town Hall is mentioned as it was where a number of players from Orient signed up. There was also a picture of the poster below.

Cheers for the bbc I player programme> Will watch it soon.

If I'm honest I only come on here for this thread great stuff. No bullsh*t  like on the match thread just good memories 

6 hours ago, erskblue said:

When you see pictures of people I assume men watching from the roof of the stand !

 

Lets face it some of them would have trained as say 'Para's or Commandos in the Second World War. So climbing up onto the top of a relatively small building, wouldn't have been that hard !

To them I mean !!

Yes, given the training and missions undertaken by the Paras and the Commandos climbing to the top of the building would have been child's play. 

5 hours ago, bluegraham said:

If I'm honest I only come on here for this thread great stuff. No bullsh*t  like on the match thread just good memories 

@bluegraham As you say, great stuff in this thread. Some wonderful memories. Shows what a great history we have.