Bushbaby
03-06-2004, 10:34
Extract from "A Parson Cross Childhood".
July 1966- The Mystery of The Missing Flagpole - Solved
Most English people are aware that England hosted, and in fact won, the World cup Finals that year. Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick has been shown, and continues to be shown, many many times on TV. The phrase “They think it’s all over” is as much part of English heritage, as say “We shall fight them on the beaches” or “Get the ladder out Norman”
What is less well documented is how, during the finals, the whole country went really football mad.. Most fifty year old housewives could have picked out Bobby Charlton, from a line up. Pele and Eusebio were as familiar to schoolgirls as Paul McCartney and Eden Kane were. Even the tiger tails, normally given away free at Esso garages with 4 gallons, had been replaced by small, half-crown type coins, displaying bad likenesses of Jimmy Greaves and Terry Paine.
Stuart, football-madder than most, had been delighted therefore when, on his birthday, Mr Lansing from next door, had given him a ticket for the West Germany v Switzerland game at Hillsborough. Mr lansing, a life long Sunderland supporter who had settled in Sheffield after the war, would be taking Stuart, and his own son Billy, to the match.
As they queued up for the 49 bus, the excitement was mounting. As well as Billy and Stuart, the bus shelter was full of ticket-holders, many of them wearing blue-and-white or red-and-white scarves, and when the bus arrived, they squeezed on downstairs and had to stand. It seemed that the whole of Parson Cross was going to the game, and the atmosphere on the bus was electric. Kevin Latimer was even trying to get everyone to sing England songs, but it didn’t work.
When they got off the bus, they made their way through heavy crowds along Penistone Road, and down Vere Road, to the Leppings Lane end. There were a few Swiss and German supporters mixed in with, and outnumbered by, the locals, and the mounted police kept control from their high perches. Outside the ground, Mr Lansing queued to get hot-dogs for the boys, and as they waited Stuart counted the newly erected flagpoles, displaying the flags of all the competing countries. He was even able to recognise a few.
When the hot-dogs came, Stuart asked
“Why are their only fifteen?”
Mr Lansing, trying to avoid a mustard spillage, didn’t quite get the question
“Flagpoles..” Stuart explained “..There are sixteen teams, but only fifteen flagpoles. Why?”
“Well I dinaah Stuart” Mr Lansing, sounding like the likely lads now that he was in relaxed mode, glanced across to display. “Perhaps one got knocked doon”
“No, if you look you can see, there’s only ever been fifteen. There isn’t room for another one”
“ Maybe one got nicked. Should I tell a coppa Stuart?” Mr Lansing was smiling now
“No, it doesn’t matter” Stuart’s interest was waining and he wanted to get into
the ground. He munched his hot-dog as he and Billy went off through the “juvenile” turnstile, meeting up with Mr Lansing on the other side.
As they walked up the gangway, two girls in Swiss national costume were handing out small Swiss-flags-on-sticks to everyone. Stuart took two from the girl and asked her if she could yodel?
“No, but I can sing Summer Holiday” she returned in a Barnsley accent.
When they took their place on the terrace, about six rows from the front, they could see, through all the waving Swiss flags, that the opposite end of the ground had been issued with German flags. By girls from Chesterfield, Stuart reckoned.
Anyway, as this was the Swiss end, Stuart would be supporting Switzerland.
When the teams emerged onto the pitch, the Swiss team, in red and white, ran across to Suart’s end of the ground, causing much cheering and flag waiving from the local ‘Swiss’ contingent. The players waved to the masses, and a few players even came and shook hands with those at the front. During the kick about, one of the balls landed in the crowd close to Stuart and he tried to touch it, but couldn’t quite reach. Then the teams were then called into the centre, and lined up for the national anthems.
As the German anthem played, many of the older supporters, including Mr Lansing, looked anxious and shook their heads. The German team, in white shirts and black shorts, stood rigid to attention, and all sang the stirring song. There was some mild booing, and Stuart supposed that this came from “Swiss” fans, wanting their team to win.
Once the game kicked off however, it was obvious they weren’t going to. Germany controlled the whole game from start to finish. Two of their players, Haller, who looked like the German boy in The Hotspur, and Overath, were superb. They destroyed the Swiss defence, running at them with the ball, switching wings, and tying their opponents in knots. It was the first time Stuart had seen ball control demonstrated so openly. One stood on the ball, the other swung his foot over it. They even back-heeled it to players they couldn’t see. They were masterful, and helped their team to a 5-0 victory, after being three up at half time. The Swiss were gallant but out of their depth, and sportingly applauded their supporters at the end.
After the game, milling through the crowds on their way back to the bus-stop, Stuart picked up a discarded German flag, and that night he arranged a criss-cross of Swiss/German flags on his bedroom bookcase.
He told his mum, and anyone else who would listen, that Germany were going to win the competition, and he took his spare Swiss flag to school and gave it to Miss Griffin, who knew all about geography.
At tea time the following day, Stuart’s mum got up to answer a knock at the door, and came back into the front room followed by Mr Lansing, who smiled at Stuart and said “North Korea”
Puzzled but polite, Stuart repeated. “North Korea?”
“Yes, North Korea”
Realising that Stuart was baffled, Mr Lansing went on to explain
“The missing flagpole is North Korea”
“Ohh..” The penny now dropping “North Korea…” Stuart nodded his head.
”..Why?”
“Well..” Mr Lansing explained “Since the war in Korea, the British government refuses to recognise North Korea as a country, only South Korea. So they can’t fly their flags”
Stuart thought a moment.
“Well that’s daft…” Wisdom beyond his years.
He conjured up a mental image of two girls from Darlington, stood at one end of Middlesborough’s Ayresome Park, in North Korean national dress, handing out empty sticks
“Do they play the anthem?” Stuart asked.
“I shouldn’t have thought so Stuart” His mam interjected. Stuart felt sorry for the little Korean players. Millions of miles from home, and not able to sing “God Save the Emperor” or whatever. He vowed to cheer extra hard for them in their next televised game.
“Well, that’s as maybe Mrs Riley, I must get back for my tea” No sign of Terry Collier today, and to Stuart. “ I just thought I’d let you know”
“Bye Mr Lansing” Stuart and his mum said together
“And thanks for takin’ me to t’match last night” Stuart finished, as Mr Lansing, smiling, went out through the door
July 1966- The Mystery of The Missing Flagpole - Solved
Most English people are aware that England hosted, and in fact won, the World cup Finals that year. Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick has been shown, and continues to be shown, many many times on TV. The phrase “They think it’s all over” is as much part of English heritage, as say “We shall fight them on the beaches” or “Get the ladder out Norman”
What is less well documented is how, during the finals, the whole country went really football mad.. Most fifty year old housewives could have picked out Bobby Charlton, from a line up. Pele and Eusebio were as familiar to schoolgirls as Paul McCartney and Eden Kane were. Even the tiger tails, normally given away free at Esso garages with 4 gallons, had been replaced by small, half-crown type coins, displaying bad likenesses of Jimmy Greaves and Terry Paine.
Stuart, football-madder than most, had been delighted therefore when, on his birthday, Mr Lansing from next door, had given him a ticket for the West Germany v Switzerland game at Hillsborough. Mr lansing, a life long Sunderland supporter who had settled in Sheffield after the war, would be taking Stuart, and his own son Billy, to the match.
As they queued up for the 49 bus, the excitement was mounting. As well as Billy and Stuart, the bus shelter was full of ticket-holders, many of them wearing blue-and-white or red-and-white scarves, and when the bus arrived, they squeezed on downstairs and had to stand. It seemed that the whole of Parson Cross was going to the game, and the atmosphere on the bus was electric. Kevin Latimer was even trying to get everyone to sing England songs, but it didn’t work.
When they got off the bus, they made their way through heavy crowds along Penistone Road, and down Vere Road, to the Leppings Lane end. There were a few Swiss and German supporters mixed in with, and outnumbered by, the locals, and the mounted police kept control from their high perches. Outside the ground, Mr Lansing queued to get hot-dogs for the boys, and as they waited Stuart counted the newly erected flagpoles, displaying the flags of all the competing countries. He was even able to recognise a few.
When the hot-dogs came, Stuart asked
“Why are their only fifteen?”
Mr Lansing, trying to avoid a mustard spillage, didn’t quite get the question
“Flagpoles..” Stuart explained “..There are sixteen teams, but only fifteen flagpoles. Why?”
“Well I dinaah Stuart” Mr Lansing, sounding like the likely lads now that he was in relaxed mode, glanced across to display. “Perhaps one got knocked doon”
“No, if you look you can see, there’s only ever been fifteen. There isn’t room for another one”
“ Maybe one got nicked. Should I tell a coppa Stuart?” Mr Lansing was smiling now
“No, it doesn’t matter” Stuart’s interest was waining and he wanted to get into
the ground. He munched his hot-dog as he and Billy went off through the “juvenile” turnstile, meeting up with Mr Lansing on the other side.
As they walked up the gangway, two girls in Swiss national costume were handing out small Swiss-flags-on-sticks to everyone. Stuart took two from the girl and asked her if she could yodel?
“No, but I can sing Summer Holiday” she returned in a Barnsley accent.
When they took their place on the terrace, about six rows from the front, they could see, through all the waving Swiss flags, that the opposite end of the ground had been issued with German flags. By girls from Chesterfield, Stuart reckoned.
Anyway, as this was the Swiss end, Stuart would be supporting Switzerland.
When the teams emerged onto the pitch, the Swiss team, in red and white, ran across to Suart’s end of the ground, causing much cheering and flag waiving from the local ‘Swiss’ contingent. The players waved to the masses, and a few players even came and shook hands with those at the front. During the kick about, one of the balls landed in the crowd close to Stuart and he tried to touch it, but couldn’t quite reach. Then the teams were then called into the centre, and lined up for the national anthems.
As the German anthem played, many of the older supporters, including Mr Lansing, looked anxious and shook their heads. The German team, in white shirts and black shorts, stood rigid to attention, and all sang the stirring song. There was some mild booing, and Stuart supposed that this came from “Swiss” fans, wanting their team to win.
Once the game kicked off however, it was obvious they weren’t going to. Germany controlled the whole game from start to finish. Two of their players, Haller, who looked like the German boy in The Hotspur, and Overath, were superb. They destroyed the Swiss defence, running at them with the ball, switching wings, and tying their opponents in knots. It was the first time Stuart had seen ball control demonstrated so openly. One stood on the ball, the other swung his foot over it. They even back-heeled it to players they couldn’t see. They were masterful, and helped their team to a 5-0 victory, after being three up at half time. The Swiss were gallant but out of their depth, and sportingly applauded their supporters at the end.
After the game, milling through the crowds on their way back to the bus-stop, Stuart picked up a discarded German flag, and that night he arranged a criss-cross of Swiss/German flags on his bedroom bookcase.
He told his mum, and anyone else who would listen, that Germany were going to win the competition, and he took his spare Swiss flag to school and gave it to Miss Griffin, who knew all about geography.
At tea time the following day, Stuart’s mum got up to answer a knock at the door, and came back into the front room followed by Mr Lansing, who smiled at Stuart and said “North Korea”
Puzzled but polite, Stuart repeated. “North Korea?”
“Yes, North Korea”
Realising that Stuart was baffled, Mr Lansing went on to explain
“The missing flagpole is North Korea”
“Ohh..” The penny now dropping “North Korea…” Stuart nodded his head.
”..Why?”
“Well..” Mr Lansing explained “Since the war in Korea, the British government refuses to recognise North Korea as a country, only South Korea. So they can’t fly their flags”
Stuart thought a moment.
“Well that’s daft…” Wisdom beyond his years.
He conjured up a mental image of two girls from Darlington, stood at one end of Middlesborough’s Ayresome Park, in North Korean national dress, handing out empty sticks
“Do they play the anthem?” Stuart asked.
“I shouldn’t have thought so Stuart” His mam interjected. Stuart felt sorry for the little Korean players. Millions of miles from home, and not able to sing “God Save the Emperor” or whatever. He vowed to cheer extra hard for them in their next televised game.
“Well, that’s as maybe Mrs Riley, I must get back for my tea” No sign of Terry Collier today, and to Stuart. “ I just thought I’d let you know”
“Bye Mr Lansing” Stuart and his mum said together
“And thanks for takin’ me to t’match last night” Stuart finished, as Mr Lansing, smiling, went out through the door