Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine

Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Exeter 77 on November 14, 2014, 08:07:08 PM

Title: Villa Reserves In WWII
Post by: Exeter 77 on November 14, 2014, 08:07:08 PM
There is a letter in the current issue of FourFourTwo which recounts a story mentioned in a book called 'Prisoners Of War' by Noel Barber about a game between some POWs who had been captured at Dunkirque and a team of German camp guards which was called off with the POWs 27-0 up. Apparently the POWs' team was comprised of the Villa second XI who has enlisted en-masse.

I did a quick search and the book seems to have been published in 1944 though.

I hadn't heard this story before and wondered if anyone could shed any light on it.

Title: Re: Villa Reserves In WWII
Post by: dave.woodhall on November 15, 2014, 01:31:35 AM
It's the first I've heard of it and I'm initially sceptical as most footballers had non-combatant roles in WWII. I'll ask around.
Title: Re: Villa Reserves In WWII
Post by: Ron Manager on November 15, 2014, 04:10:17 PM
There are a couple of hardback copies of this book on e bay. But at £10 a time a little expensive even for Villa historians.
Title: Re: Villa Reserves In WWII
Post by: Exeter 77 on November 15, 2014, 06:56:10 PM
It's the first I've heard of it and I'm initially sceptical as most footballers had non-combatant roles in WWII. I'll ask around.

That's what I thought and I am a bit dubious because I would have thought I would have heard about from some source at some point.
Title: Re: Villa Reserves In WWII
Post by: PGW on November 16, 2014, 11:37:43 AM
Hardback copies available £8.25 and paperback £7.05 on amazon
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