Reg Anderson (footballer)

Reginald Stephen Anderson (13 September 1916 – 24 February 1942) was an English professional footballer. After beginning his career with amateur side Dulwich Hamlet, he joined Cardiff City in 1938 and made two appearances in The Football League. He also represented England at amateur level, scoring a hat-trick on his debut in 1938.

Reg Anderson
Personal information
Full name Reginald Stephen Anderson[1]
Date of birth (1916-09-13)13 September 1916[2]
Place of birth Peckham, England
Date of death 24 February 1942(1942-02-24) (aged 25)
Place of death Sylt, Nazi Germany
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1934–1938 Dulwich Hamlet
1938–1939 Cardiff City 2 (1)
1939–1940 Dulwich Hamlet
National team
1938–1939 England Amateur 3 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Anderson was born in Peckham in 1916 to William Thomas Anderson and Ellen Leete Anderson (née Strickland).[3] He grew up in Dulwich, attending Wilson's School.[4] He later became a teacher.[3]

Career

After playing football for his local school, he joined Dulwich Hamlet at the age of eighteen in 1934. Two years later, he made his debut for the club's first team and quickly established himself in the squad, winning the FA Amateur Cup final 2–0 against Leyton in 1937.[2] His form for Dulwich led to him being called up to the England national amateur football team, scoring a hat-trick in his first match during an 8–2 victory over Wales playing alongside Dulwich teammate William Parr.[2] He made two further appearances for the side in the following year, both in matches against Scotland, without scoring.[5]

His performances for the England amateur side attracted attention from several Football League clubs and he eventually joined Third Division South side Cardiff City.[6] He made his professional debut on 15 April 1939 in a match against Notts County. Two days later, he played in the reverse fixture against County, scoring once during a 4–1 victory for Cardiff.[7] Following the outbreak of World War II, the Football League was suspended and Anderson was briefly retained as an amateur with Cardiff before rejoining Dulwich.[6]

World War II

Anderson enlisted with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, being assigned to 106 squadron as a Sergeant Observer.[3][6] On the night of 23 February 1942, the Handley Page Hampden bomber aircraft that Anderson was serving on was one of 23 aircraft that took part in a minelaying "gardening" operation over "Eglatine" (the Heligoland approaches) departing from RAF Coningsby. The flight was his fifth mission on active duty.[2] Anderson's aircraft was shot down over the Heligoland Bight by flak from either anti-aircraft batteries or a Kriegsmarine flak ship and all four crew members were killed when the plane crashed into dunes at Sylt. His remains were buried in Kiel War Cemetery.[3][8][9]

References
  1. Mishi Morath. "New Hamlet book selling well". Dulwich Hamlet F.C. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  2. Steve Hunnisett (23 November 2017). "Dulwich Hamlet during the Second World War". University of Wolverhampton. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  3. "Archive Report: Hampden I P4323". Aircrew Remembered. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  4. Chiara Giordano (9 November 2017). "The WWII Heroes of Dulwich". Southwark News. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  5. "England's Matches – The Amateurs 1906–1939". England Football Online. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  6. Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 14. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
  7. Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive: Cardiff City F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData Publications. p. 38. ISBN 1-899-46817-X.
  8. Accident description for Hampden P4323 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 23 March 2020.
  9. "Casualty Details: Reginald Stephen Anderson". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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