Nice post. Cheers Bushman, keep them coming. It was interesting to see Arthur Smith listed in that line-up v Blackburn, he was a PE teacher at my school.
Not the same Smith. In the Blackburn game it is Conway Smith. I'm guessing you went to the Wren, in which case you are thinking of Albert Smith. Albert left the club in Aug 1950
Correct sir. That is why you are the legend that you are, and the font of all knowledge QPR. I obviously got Albert and Arthur mixed up, as both Arthur Jefferson and Albert Smith were both PE teachers at my school. ( Wren as you correctly said. ) Of course now I think of it they must of played for us in the 30's . Arthur was ( as my grandad used to tell me ) a ferocious left back. He also used to run an after school football club in Canberra school on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday night 7.30-9pm. He was also there every night without fail. Jefferson's dedication to football was second to none. Jefferson's was a regular haunt for us football hungry pre-teens in the late 70's, early 80's. I also remember playing in his 5 a-side team in tournaments held at Wormholt school and Wendall Park. They don't make them like him any more.
It's interesting going back to the 50s and 60s that a lot of sportsmen supplemented their incomes teaching in schools. I went to secondary school in Tulse Hill, South London and three of the PE staff there were Mike Edwards the Surrey opener (with John Edrich) who scored a century against the touring Aussies in the late 60s, Roger Harman the Surrey spinner and Alan Pinkney who was with Exeter City at the time. Now they're all so minted you wouldn't find them anywhere near a school...
To backup Sooperhoop, my school briefly had former Pakistani international cricketer Khalid "Billy" Ibadulla as a PE teacher while I was there in the 70s. He now lives in New Zealand and coaches some of their top players.
Had to register to post a reply on this. I went to Willesden County Grammar school in the late sixties and we had a couple of no-mark Watford players coaching us. The catholic school round the corner had the one and only Rodney Marsh!
Used to do those football nights at canberra in early 70's....to us 11 & 12 year olds both arthur & albert were ancient...they must have been in their 60's at that time, but i can remember that arther had a kick on him like a mule... Do i recall a picture from somewhere that both of them purchased the chipper on south africa road in the 50's as something to do when they retired?
