here i have a press photo of chelsea from the late 40s does anyone know any of the players and what trophy they had won please

anyone know

On 08/01/2026 at 10:28, andy20066 said:

here i have a press photo of chelsea from the late 40s does anyone know any of the players and what trophy they had won please

I can't help you mate. I'm trying to figure out what the trophy is . Maybe some war time thing ?

@erskblue the best bet . He can find almost anything. Good luck

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On 08/01/2026 at 10:28, andy20066 said:

1 hour ago, andy20066 said:

anyone know

Maybe it's the football League South trophy we won in 1945 ?? Can't find any images of it , but wiki have got the players listed .

Here you go :

Edited January 15Jan 15 by Sexyfootball

Found that using a Google Lens search on the image FYI

@andy20066 Have found this photo. It looks like the photo you posted. Hope it helps. As for the game Charlton beat Chelsea 4-1 at Stamford Bridge. I'll post some more details later.

@Sexyfootball just seen your photo. Thanks for posting.

As an aside this website is great for information.

https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/index.htm

Thought it was funny that the goalkeeper is wearing a chunky roll neck sweater LOL

Probably where Maresca and Rosenior got their sartorial inspiration 😂

Great photo. Cheers for saving me from doing research!

Not that it would bother me in any way!

Football League Cup South . 7th April 1945. Attendance 90,000.

We wore red shirts and beat Millwall 2-0.

Skipper Johnny Harris was one of eight guest Pensioners, the others being regulars George Wardle (Exeter City), and Danny Winter (Bolton), Ian Black (Aberdeen), George Hardwick (Middlesbrough) and John McDonald (Bournemouth and Boscombe), while Len Goulden (West Ham) and Les Smith (Brentford) were both debutants. McDonald and Wardle ensured Chelsea won 2-0, and we remain the trophy-holders to this day.

Sixpence for a program in 1945 is the equivalent of about 30-50p today !

1 minute ago, Sexyfootball said:

Sixpence for a program in 1945 is the equivalent of about 30-50p today !

I rarely buy a programme for the men's games nowadays as don't have the space at home what with all my books, whisky bottles and albums. Tend to only buy if the programme is to mark an event in the club's history. Can get loads of information on line as well. Programmes for the women's team cost £2 each whilst those for the men's team cost £4 each. Saying that the programme's for the women's team have fewer pages. Once in a while I'll buy the fanzines which are either £1 or £2 each. Some great articles in those and written by fans.

'

2 hours ago, Boyne said:

I rarely buy a programme for the men's games nowadays as don't have the space at home what with all my books, whisky bottles and albums. Tend to only buy if the programme is to mark an event in the club's history. Can get loads of information on line as well. Programmes for the women's team cost £2 each whilst those for the men's team cost £4 each. Saying that the programme's for the women's team have fewer pages. Once in a while I'll buy the fanzines which are either £1 or £2 each. Some great articles in those and written by fans.

'

CFCUK is a good fanzine.. There used the be a few. Chelsea Independent was the first think ?

The attendance of 90,000 at Wembley in April 1945 to watch us beat Millwall, was the highest football attendance in Britain for a club match during the Second World War.

And there was still the very real potential, of attacks by V1 and V2 rockets in April 1945!

11 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

CFCUK is a good fanzine.. There used the be a few. Chelsea Independent was the first think ?

I buy CFCUK on occasions. A good read. I remember Chelsea Independent. I also used to read the Rangers fanzine Follow Follow. I need to check but I think I've still go copies of Follow Follow and the Chelsea Independent.

There used to be a shop off the Charing Cross Road in London which sold football memorabilia including fanzines of clubs around the U.K. Went out of business a few years ago. Probably as more and more stuff including fanzines went on line.

When Chelsea played Charlton at Wembley in the South Cup Final on 17 April 1944. Ike introduced to the Chelsea team. Given this was a few weeks before D Day Ike and other senior Allied military leaders would have had a lot on their mind. I guess attending a game would have given him a break from more important matters. Not sure who the British officer is. Will need to find out.

2 hours ago, Boyne said:

When Chelsea played Charlton at Wembley in the South Cup Final on 17 April 1944. Ike introduced to the Chelsea team. Given this was a few weeks before D Day Ike and other senior Allied military leaders would have had a lot on their mind. I guess attending a game would have given him a break from more important matters. Not sure who the British officer is. Will need to find out.

He looks like a dug-up general Haig 😄

That's General Eisenhower.

On 16/01/2026 at 09:31, Boyne said:

When Chelsea played Charlton at Wembley in the South Cup Final on 17 April 1944. Ike introduced to the Chelsea team. Given this was a few weeks before D Day Ike and other senior Allied military leaders would have had a lot on their mind. I guess attending a game would have given him a break from more important matters. Not sure who the British officer is. Will need to find out.

The British Officer who is standing behind Eisenhower may be General Jan Smuts. Smuts fought with the Boers against British Forces in the 2nd Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 and was later instrumental in the creation of the Royal Air Force in 1918. He also was an advisor to Churchill. He passed away in 1950 at the age of 80. Here's a picture of him.

Our 1944 League War Final (South) against Charlton in April 1944.

British Pathe News Report and brief footage.