Page 147 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

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Joe Mercer, Matt Busby and Don Welsh in APTC uniform
APTC and England Half Backs Cliff Britton, Stan Cullis and Joe Mercer
1-0 in the Final at Wembley on 8th June 1940. A crowd of 42,399, including many Dunkirk survivors, risked the visit to Wembley to see the match despite genuine fears that London could be bombed by the Luftwaffe. There were no medals presented after the game and most players returned immediately to their units as they were on active duty.
Due to the cries for young men to join the services and head off to war, many people believed it would be the end of football for years to come. Yet in the trying times and turmoil of war, football still had a role to play in everyday life. The sport was deemed to be a positive influence on the morale of both soldiers and civilians and the Football War League commenced on 21st October 1939 with 82 clubs split into 8 geographical groups. Professional players would receive no more than 30 shillings (£1.50) for each match and bizarrely, with the consent of their home club, registered players would be allowed to guest for any other club depending on where they were stationed in the Army. Out of work footballers were faced with few options other than to wait for call up or enlist in the Armed Forces and national service organisations. By April 1940 it was recorded that 629 professional footballers had enlisted in the services with 514 joining the Army, 84 the RAF and 31 the Royal Navy.
Stanley Rous, the FA Secretary, agreed with the GOC Home Forces to put a panel of coaches, trainers and masseurs at the disposal of the Army. A total of forty coaches were assigned to the Army Physical Training Staff (APTS) with thirty two of these being professional footballers. This provided an outlet for the expert services of many professional footballers and coaches with most arriving in Aldershot during 1939-40 to train and study on fast track