WILLIAM TURNBULL – playing football in North Bucks
William Turnbull (‘Willie’ or ‘Bill’ as he was more often known), was born in Lanarkshire,
Scotland and was a railwayman when he moved south to work in Bletchley. Born in 1926 he
went into the coal mines straight from school, but didn't stay there long, having been in an
altercation with a foreman after a few weeks.
He then joined the LMS as a fireman; he tried unsuccessfully to sign up during the war, but
was refused on the grounds of ‘reserved occupation’. When he first came to work in
Bletchley he lived in one of the old carriages near Railway Terrace and later at the
railwaymen’s hostel in Little Brickhill, among other places.
Sometime in the late 50s he left the railway and went to work for the London Brick Company.
Sadly he died in 1969 at the early age of 43.
His playing career for Bletchley LMS football club began prior to 1947 where he is featured
in the end of season photo taken of the team and its trophies; and from 1950 onwards, apart
from a brief spell playing for Bletchley Town Reserves in 1953, he appears to have
continued with the LMS until 1955.
During that time his record shows that he played in at least three different leagues: the North
Bucks League, 1st and reserve divisions; the Spartan South Midlands 1st division; and the
Dunstable Alliance league as well as playing in various local cup games.
The list, charting his appearances, has been compiled from reports printed in the Bletchley &
District Gazette from 1950 until 1955. It is, however, not a definitive record because
sometimes games may have been played but not reported on. Where specific games are
reported and teams were named there is no ambiguity; but for example, if on any given date
both LMS teams played but only one report had full details and ‘Willie’ wasn’t mentioned, he
could have played for the other LMS team – so we may never know. For cases of
uncertainty such as this please refer to the ‘Notes’ column.
About this time football in the North Bucks area was going through a difficult period as
reflected in the inconsistency of form that can be seen in some match results. However the
growing population in Bletchley and district plus the increasing numbers of young men and
boys wishing to play competitive football saw new teams springing up linked to factories,
pubs, schools and youth groups.
As West Bletchley expanded so the new sports facility and football pitch at Derwent Drive
became home to new and established teams, one of which was the BBOB which changed its
name and became Bletchley United.
Soon there were too many players and not enough teams and the biggest change came
during the sixties and seventies with the establishment of Sunday Morning football when
each week a host of new clubs were on the lookout for talented players.
To return to Willie’s story, the match reports also give the names of many other well-known
local footballers that he played with and against. Some also that he later became related to
by marriage such as Eric Kilsby, Jack Hampson and Bill Gee. He played many times with
Ernie Skipper (who at one time played for Dulwich Hamlet), also Ike Bond, Wal Read, ‘Jock’
Happell, Vic Cheshire, Dennis Nash, ‘Taffy’ Lewis, Tony Clarke, etc.
The website below gives more information about local football:
http://www.livingarchive.org.uk/includes/external/mkfootballmemories/index.html
‘Players, Passion and Pitches – Memories of football in the Milton Keynes area’ is the title of
a book compiled by Herbert Booth and Steve Flinn, available from Bletchley library; which is
where copies of some of the original Bletchley Gazettes are also kept.
BLETCHLEY’s ‘RAILWAY COACH CAMP’
To understand the conditions that prevailed at the end of 1945 concerning housing for
workers who were ‘drafted in’ to work on the railway, the following extract is taken, with
acknowledgement to John A. Taylor, from his booklet: ‘Bletchley – The Wartime Years 1939
to 1945’ (p. 69). Conditions may have improved a bit by the time ‘Willie’ came to Bletchley,
but by how much?
1945
“At Bletchley station, by mid-December nine coaches, which had been shunted into the
sidings that bridged the Water Eaton Road, formed part of the solution both to the problems
of the L.M.S. Railways freight traffic, and the shortage of Bletchley accommodation. The
warden for this ‘railway coach camp’ was Mr L. Adney, who assisted the running shed
foreman, and in the coaches lived and slept the men brought from the North to relieve the
shortage of railway crews. The 75 firemen, guards, control and signalmen each paid the
company 4 shillings a week, and they understandably looked forward to their few days leave
once every five weeks, since apart from the radio, games and the regular delivery of
newspapers and periodicals, there seemed little else to keep them occupied. From a boiler
in the coach shed the heating for the carriages was ducted through a pipe (which sometimes
froze), and because there were initially no baths, at first the men had to use an outside water
tap. Mrs B. King was the chief cook, and utilising a kitchen car in the coach shed a 24 hour
service was maintained by three women, who would soon also cater for 20 more men, and
two extra coaches.”
MARRIAGE OF ‘WILLIE’ TURNBULL AND JOAN GANDER
‘Willie’ and Joan’s wedding was announced in the 3rd of April 1954 edition of The Bletchley
Gazette, together with a photograph of the bridal group.
ROBERT TURNBULL, the couple’s first child, was born two weeks before the last game of
regular football that Willie is recorded as playing, and it was the request for information about
his father playing football locally, that set this quest in motion.
DAVE TURNBULL, was the second son of ‘Willie’ and Joan Turnbull (née Gander) and must
have inherited some of his dad’s football prowess; at an early age he caught the eye of Dick
Riley, the well-known captain and coach of Bletchley Town during the 1950’s.
The photograph shows Dave and his cousin Angela Eldred (née Gander) taken at a family
celebration. Dave also sadly died at a relatively young age.