1939–40 Aston Villa F.C. season

see AIN thread September 2026 Aston Villa 1938–39 Jimmy Hogan, dismissed September 1939 Fred Normansell President Patrick HannonAston Villa Meeting, Birmingham Evening Mail, 5 July 1941, p3 Villa Park First Division suspended FA Cup suspended 1938–39 1940–41 The 1939–40 English football season was Aston Villa's first season disrupted by Word War II. Matches were suspended in September after the outbreak of the conflict. The three matches that had been played were expunged from the records.https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/player/first-team/legacy-numbers In August 1939 the Aston Villa footballers played their 20th annual cricket match with Perry Barr. Heavy rain stopped play on the first day but Villa would go on to victory at Church Road, Perry Barr. Jim McConnon and Eric Houghton excelled for Villa.Villa at Cricket, Evening Despatch, 8 August 1939, p12 The football season began as normal on 26 August. Following the German invasion of Poland and subsequent declaration of war by Britain against Nazi Germany on 3 September 1939, football matches were halted. Villa Park found itself in an evacuation district designated under the British Government's civilian evacuation scheme.No Competitive Football, Chronicle, 16 September 1939, p5 The Police Chief Constable of Birmingham, C.C.H Moriarty, intimated that he would not sanction football matches within the city of Birmingham.No Football at Villa Park or St Andrews Yet, Evening Despatch, 25 September 1939, p6Swindon Advertiser, 10 November 1939, p8 The matter was first raised in Parliament in November 1939, but the Home Secretary was unwilling to intervene in what he perceived as a local issue outside his jurisdiction.Written Answers (Commons): Civil Defence: Football Matches (Spectators) Hansard 15 November 1939 353 cc726–7W https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1939/nov/15/football-matches-spectators 19 February 2019Commons Sitting: Civil Defence: Football Prohibition (Birmingham) Hansard 22 February 1940 357 cc1515–6 https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1940/feb/22/football-prohibition-birmingham 19 December 2015 The Football League's Scheme for War-time football proposed to limit gates to 15,000 or 8,000 in evacuation areas. With their large overheads, the directors of Aston Villa and Sunderland announced their intention to close down.Big Names in Football that will not be seen in War-Time Liverpool Echo, 30 September 1939, p2 The manager and players were paid off whilst Villa Park was commandeered by the War Office.https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-jimmy-hogan-legend-12227795 'He'd get you doing stepovers' The intriguing story of an unappreciated Aston Villa legend 26 November 2018 24 December 2021 Villa's players quickly found war-time employment. Houghton, Allen, Callaghan, Rutherford, Starling, Moss, Kerr, Barker, C.S. Batty, and Cobley became policemen. Broome, Massie, and Iverson engaged in factory work of national importance.Strong Villa Team, Birmingham Evening Mail, 14 September 1939, p7 Les Latham joined the Royal Marines participating in the Normandy Landings.https://greensonscreen.co.uk/gosdb-players2.php?pid=475 The Villa players had freedom to guest. When Wolves met Northampton in the Midland Regional League, the Northampton team contained six Villa players.Association Football, The Birmingham Post, 1 June 1940, p5 26 August 1939 Middlesbrough 0–2 Aston Villa Jackie Martin, Edwards Ayresome Park W Expunged from the records. A pleasant afternoon, possibly too warm for the players comfort. Freddie Haycock suffered a knee injury and Villa played the second half a man down.Aston Villa, a well balanced side, The Birmingham Post, 28 August 1939, p9 28 August 1939 Aston Villa 1–2 Everton Villa Park L British Football, The Oregonian, 31 August 1939, p28 Expunged from the records. 2 September 1939 Derby County 1–0 Aston Villa Baseball Ground L Expunged from the records. Attendance: 8,000 Derby Co. v Aston Villa, South Wales Argus, 2 September 1939, p3 Rutherford (goal), Callaghan, Cummings, Massie, Allen, Iverson, Edwards, Martin, O'Donnell, Starling, Broome.Rutherford Returns for Aston Villa, Birmingham Gazette, 1 September 1939, p10 Kerr was unfit and Freddie Haycock was injured requiring a knee operation.Star Villa will miss The Daily Sketch, 1 September 1939, p27 The reserve team played Derby Reserves at home: Carey, Godfrey, Guttridge, L.J. Latham, Moss, Barker, Goffin, Osborne, Shell, Bate, Houghton. 6 September 1939 Wolves Aston Villa Molineux On 4th September the Government announced a ban on Sport to prevent crowds gathering. This match was one of over thirty mid-week League fixtures called-off.Ban on Sport, Birmingham Evening Mail, 4 September 1939, p3 16 September 1939 Leicester City 3–0 Aston Villa Filbert Street L After the suspension of competitive football, friendlies were quickly set up between regional teams.Attwood Tony 25 March 2017 Arsenal in the 30s: Arsenal at the start of the 2nd world war (autumn 1939) https://blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/15180 https://web.archive.org/web/20220701004506/http://blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/15180 1 July 2022 17 November 2023 The History of ArsenalRippon Anton Gas Masks for Goal Posts: Football in Britain During the Second World War The History Press 2007 978-0750940313 17–26 enhttps://the-premier-league.com/season/1939-40/Two Defensive Blunders Make the Difference Leicester Evening Mail, 16 September 1939, p6 A crowd of 3,000-4,000 watched, many in khaki, most carrying their gas masks. HMT Aston Villa In January 1940, Chairman Fred Normansell's wife was a member of the Aston & Lozells women's working party when they adopted the Royal Navy minesweeper Aston Villa.The Aston Villa, Birmingham Evening Mail, 6 January 1940, p6 At the outbreak of the Second World War, Sir Geoffrey Cecil Congreve, 1st Baronet was given command of four naval trawlers of the Royal Naval Patrol Service, based at Aberdeen and Scapa Flow, among then being HMT Arab. Congreve took command of the force on 22 January 1940, from HMT Aston Villa. After several months of convoy duties and anti-submarine warfare, Congreve received orders on 25 April to cross the North Sea to the coast of Norway, against the German Operation Weserübung. His 16th Anti-Submarine Group comprised the Angle, Arab, Aston Villa and Gaul.Private Papers of Commander Sir Geoffrey Congreve Bt DSO RN https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1030011881 Imperial War Museums enLassaque Jean Guerre navale en Norvège: 8 avril-28 juillet 1940 2003 Le gerfaut 978-2-914622-29-5 157 https://books.google.com/books?id=NzyGN9gHf_oC&pg=PA157 fr The trawlers were under William Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork, commanding the fleet of the allied forces attempting to capture Narvik.Buchner Alex Narvik: The Struggle of Battle Group Dietl in the Spring of 1940 20 November 2020 Casemate 978-1-61200-918-6 179 https://books.google.com/books?id=fJwQEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA179 en The Namsenfjorden area in which they were to operate left the vessels exposed to air attack. Both HMT Aston Villa and HMT Gaul were damaged in attacks. Aston Villa was hit by dive-bombers on 30 April, and was damaged to the point of lacking the seaworthiness to make the return crossing of the North Sea.Naval Losses off Norway https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000330/19400510/028/0006 Dover Express 10 May 1940 6 It was scuttled on 3 May in Kroken Bay of Namsenfjorden.Oldfield Paul Victoria Crosses on the Western Front - Somme 1916: 1st July 1916 to 13th November 1916 30 August 2016 Pen and Sword Military 978-1-4738-7457-2 308–309 https://books.google.com/books?id=2_zsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA309 en References Category:Aston Villa F.C. seasons Aston Villa F.C. season