PHS010 Eddie Small MP3
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Audio details
| Collection Title | Champions of England: Oral Histories |
|---|---|
| Date of Recording | 15th January 2020 |
| Name of Interviewer | Samantha Middleton |
| Location of Interview | Portsmouth |
| Participant Name | Eddy Small |
| Participant Date of Birth | |
| Participant Sex | Male |
| Participant Occupation | |
| Participant Background | |
| Type of Recorder | Zoom H4n Pro |
| Track No | 1 |
| Track Duration | [00:49:11] |
| Recording Format | MP3 |
| Transcript Summary |
[00:00:00] Eddy Small, born in Kew in London, although parents were separated due to the war, stayed with Grandmother until 1945, parents lived separately in Portsmouth, until parents got a house in Carisbrooke Road through auction in 1942, moved down to Portsmouth as a child in 1945. Mother was a chambermaid until she moved to Portsmouth to work in hotels in Southsea. Father was a labourer in the Dockyard. [00:27:10] Remembers first match in the Championship season, age 7 or 8 years old was against Aston Villa, Portsmouth won 5-1. Remembers being in the Fratton End with Uncle, during those days’ kids were passed down to the front of the crowd, which was a bit daunting but from the atmosphere and the crowd was completely hooked and from then on was a Portsmouth supporter. Mentions was only able to go alone when reached about 12/13 years old. [00:03:39] Remembers arriving to the stadium being in the garden of house which backed on to the South Stand, changing rooms were there and you could hear through the open windows the players all shouting. Mentions it was the noise from the crowd that wanted you to go in there. From school would go there to watch the training through Frogmore Road from the track through an open door, and was let in as was only a kid, loved watching the training, and would sit on the wall of home in Carisbrooke Road and wait for the players and collect their autographs, Dickinson, Phillps, Harris. Remembers going down to the train station to start collecting autographs of the players from all the big teams we used to play, Tottenham, Blackpool, Stanley Matthew, etc. Always good as gold. Used to cycle down to Fratton Station and wait, Blackpool was the big team with Stanley Matthews, remembers only player that never used to talk was George Farm, their goalkeeper, Scottish International. Remembers players mixing with supporters. Mentions when at school used to go to Eastney Youth Club and end of social lesson would go and have a game of football, Jack Mansell would sit on the windowsill with his feet on the radiator and give us tips. Also Bill Albury would take boys for football at school. As locals it was good to see them at schools. [00:08:28] Mentions talking to them during the week as they went pass and would stop briefly. A lot of players lived down the road as they were Pompey houses, 3 doors up from a couple of players lived in rented houses. Reg Pickett and Derek Reece, mentions being woken up by them on a Wednesday night from their night out on the pier. Drove open top sports car. Some neighbours used to complain sometimes as they used to play a squeezebox. Family paid rent to Portsmouth Football Club for the house at Fratton Park. [00:10:59] Remembers once you went to Fratton Park in the Fratton End, just a different feeling, the buzz and adrenaline of a 40,000 crowd, no seats all barriers, sometimes a bit scary if there was a surge from the back, and feel a bit crushed but apart from that it was the excitement. A lot of young kids were picked up and put down to the front. No restrictions on attendance. Record was 51,000 and that amount of people was a bit of a crush. Although everyone got home safely. Health and Safety was not an issue in those days. All seater stopped that even though people like to still stand up. [00:14:30] Remembers had 7 uncles in the services and they lived locally. Uncle Bob took to first match and went on own as got older. Would go sometimes when there was 15 minutes left and the gates were open to watch last few minutes of the match. Game was still being played and still got the buzz. Remembers just being interested in playing and see them take corners and was brilliant. [00:16:49] Remembers Portsmouth as a city hasn’t changed much except the shops on every corner, Milton Park, Bransbury Park, Wimborne School not changed. Life was centred around your local area, like Winter Road for shopping. Mentions being in Hammersmith, London, which had 76 continuous bombing, born in 1941 but moving to Portsmouth, had to go back sometimes with brother as mum had had twins in 1943, very disruptive time for the family and family helped out a lot. Mentions in 1944 Portsmouth was pretty badly bombed and remember the V1’s coming over and mum grabbing him to hid under the stairs, engine stopped and you knew it was going to come down. Mentions not really thinking it was the war but just that mum grabbed you. Wimborne School was damaged and knocking parts of buildings down that were hit. Everyone was in the same boat and you just got on with it. In Portsmouth didn’t have a bathroom unlike London and really hard life. Remembers everyone connected with football and it was a navy town. Naval staff always went to games which made crowds big. Shops would be in blue and white and appreciate how well the club did. Family took in bikes and sell cups of tea for a tuppence. Job with brother was to take in the bikes and put in front room, down the passage bike, Didn’t matter if you damaged the wallpaper family were getting threepence a bike. Mentions job was to go and get bikes but the problem was they were all the same. If people came out early and bikes were over the back, had to take all the bikes out. [00:25:10] First away match was Bury play in the 3rd round in the FA Cup [ndlr in 1956], went on a steam train on Friday, arrive 6am in the morning and kick-off wasn’t till 3pm. Weather so bad and muddy and today would have been postponed. Won 3-1, Philips and Harris. [00:27:05] Remembers being young not knowing how club was run, at the time all was interested in was the players and the matches. Reading later it seems it was run well and Montgomery was well thought of. As a 7-year-old it was a football club. Montgomery was popular and his part of WW2 and like John Jenkins was a special type of person. Looked at Montgomery and though wow he’s our President. [00:29:45] Remembers not having John Westwood type of fans but at that time always knew when people went to games people dressed up, had rattles and cups made out of cardboard. Just taken in by all what was going on at the games. Navy would turn up dressed up. [00:30:01] Remembers football then was totally different. As a footballer, footwear was different with big studs but didn’t have the injuries that you have today, needed to be strong in those days. Football was good, played with a system, 2, 3, 5, Peter Harris and Jack Froggatt down the wings. Football today is more with players from across Europe unlike then. Really good players, Len Phillips was favourite and ended up working with him. Remembers Len and his wife visiting Bransbury Park to watch football, due to marrying into the Saunders family and Alan Saunders played in the team. Remembers it being a buzz having Len Phillips watching and later in life when working in the stores, at lunchtime heard stories of his England days. Remembers him playing once at 64 in a work team at Alexandra Park. [00:36:01] Remembers Portsmouth winning the title and the excitement and seeing the photographs later of the players at the Queens Hotel, but was there and holds photos of VE Day and the FA Cup being there. Crowds were massive at Frogmore Road as the open top buses left. As a kid you just took it in and wanted more of it, an exciting event. [00:38:45] Remembers having the programmes and Sports Mail on a Saturday night to keep up on the news and wanted to read it. No TV just the Sports Report on the radio. By time at age 10, and collected football books like today Premier League books. [00:41:13] Nationally Newcastle, Tottenham, Wolves, Bolton and Manchester Utd were big clubs and in the same mould as Portsmouth. Southampton later but not as intense as today and they weren’t in the same division at that time as well as Brighton and Bournemouth so no rivalry at all, then Portsmouth were the best club in that Division, as great time to be a Pompey supporter from young until now I still get a buzz. Mentions interest being part of the History Society and talk to people about that time and to listen to other people. [00:45:29] Mentions can talk about different times at home and it was still hard times during that time, still had ration books, even your paper round money went to mum and she can you a little bit, but even the players walked to the ground sometimes and didn’t always earn lots of money. Most of them did live local and would walk past, some whether they would use the bus. Some living in Aspley Road and Ruskin Road, not so many cars on the road and could cycle without worrying about traffic. [00:22:11] End of interview |
| Copyright Clearance | Full |
| Copyright Holder | Pompey History Society |
