RAF Melton Mowbray Football Team 1944-45 Season
The joined the Leicestershire Senior League for the 1944-45 season and finished as runners-up and winners of the Loughborough Hospital Cup, Sileby Charity Cup & Blaby Infirmary Cup
They left Leicestershire Senior League in 1945
SEASON LEAGUE P W D L F A P POS
1944-45 LEICS 26 17 4 5 111 51 38 2/14
Jimmy Learmonth was a professional footballer playing for Glasgow Rangers before he joined the RAF and while stationed at Melton, naturally he was part of the RAF Melton Mowbray football team. The station team had just won the Loughborough Charity Cup in a local tournament.
The CO at the time, Gp Capt Gomez, who was himself a football fan and proud of his team, invited them back to the Officers Mess for celebration drinks.
The CO was doing his party piece and drinking a pint of beer down in one go when Jimmy said to his team-mates “Where’s he putting that, has he got hollow legs?” To Jimmy’s horror the CO heard his comment and spat out his drink in a burst of laughter and replied “Its better than that Jimmy” at the same time as tapping his leg. To the amazement of everyone, it was a false leg as he lost his real one in a flying accident earlier in his career. Jimmy immediately thought ‘I’ve gone and done it now’ but Gomez just laughed about it.
In addition to Jimmy Learmonth, the RAF Melton Mowbray FC team contained several other professional players such as Cpl Andy Bramley who was the team manager and came from Anstey, Bill Maclean was the Leics City trainer, Clem Stevenson played for Huddersfield.
Also serving at Melton was the Geordie and England player Ivor Broadis but not sure if he’s on the team photograph. During the Second World War, Ivor served as a Navigator completing 500 flying hours in Wellingtons and Lancasters, although he was never on a bombing mission!
During a career spanning nineteen years from 1942 to 1961, Broadis represented Carlisle United, Sunderland, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Queen of the South, gaining 14 caps and scoring eight goals for England at international level. Broadis played at inside forward; after retiring from playing in 1961, he pursued a career as a football journalist.