Wolverhampton Wanderers In The RAF
The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is embarking on an exciting new venture with Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. They are working together on a joint project to examine the lives of footballers who served in the forces during the Second World War era.
The Museum is particularly interested in those players who went on to join the RAF and the careers they had within that branch of the armed forces.
Information provided by Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club Historian and Archivist Graham Hughes, shows that during the Second World War, Wolves Manager Major Frank Buckley who served in the Army himself, issued a call to arms to his football team and backroom staff. His encouragement led to 91 men joining up for active service by the end of the war in 1945.
Philip Clayton, Education Officer at RAF Museum Cosford says:
“The research will look into the lives and memories of Wolves players that served in the RAF for both club and country. This is an exciting long term project which I hope will bring a greater understanding of football during this period.”
This mammoth task is believed to be one of the first of its kind and the more information that can be gathered, the better. If anyone has any memories, information, photos or medals of people who served in the forces and played for Wolves, we would like to hear from you. Please contact wwfcresearch@rafmuseum.org or visit the Museum website and complete the online form at www.rafmuseum.org/wwfcresearch. Alternatively, please write to the Museum at: Philip Clayton, Access and Learning, RAF Museum Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8UP.
This exciting local project will be a combination of efforts from the RAF Museum Cosford, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, RAF Cosford and Wolverhampton University being led by Post Graduate Samantha Leek.
The Museum is open daily from 10am and entry to the Museum is FREE. For further information please contact the Museum on 01902 376200 or visit www.rafmuseum.org
