Nine Elms Football Team

The Nine Elms football team was formed sometime after the Second World War. It wasn't just footplate staff that were solely involved in the team selection but many other railwaymen from various grades in and around the Battersea area. Fitters, Shunters, Clerks, Guards were all part of the post war team. During these times rationing still existed and it was a period of continued austerity that lasted well in to the fifties. As such much of the team's kit was hand made, the shorts seen in the photograph being made from redundant 'black-out curtains'!

Some of the loco-men to be seen in the team photograph taken in France at the 'Stade du U.S. Nord', Drancy, Paris, during an exchange football match in 1951/2 are as follows; Dickie Budd, Pat Burgess, Maurice Hunt, Sid Oull, Reggie Reid, Bill Turner and Albert Wright, plus Ted (Dutch) Holland who became one of the depot's Running Foremen.

The team continued to thrive and play competitive football for many years after this event such was the enthusiasm of those involved. The Southern's Sports Ground at Raynes Park alongside the SW mainline provided the venue for the 'Home' matches for the Nine Elms team and in order to make players available for games a lot of shift changes were required to field the strongest team on many occasions!

Maurice Hunt - Nine Elms Engineman