Bradford City's heroes of World War Two: Alfred Keeling

On the verge of a promising career in the First Division with Manchester City, newly wed and a pilot in the RAF - Bradford born Alfred Keeling packed much into his tragically short life.

Born 50 Little Horton Lane, Bradford, on 14 December 1920. Aged eleven Alfred won a scholarship to Carlton Street Secondary School, which is today covered by the site of Bradford University. He played football for Carlton Street School and Sedburgh – members of the Senior Nignog League. In one remarkable season he scored 65 goals – 27 for Carlton and 38 for Sedburgh. He also made a handful of appearances for West Riding Amateur League side East Bierley.

An all round sportsman, he ran for Bradford in the Yorkshire Schools Athletic Championships, won an amateur tennis championship and played cricket for Bankfoot in the Bradford League. However, it was football where he excelled - he appeared as a centre forward for Bradford Schoolboys against Glasgow at Valley Parade in 1936.

Spotted by Bradford Park Avenue, Alfred was taken on as a member of the ground staff when he left school at sixteen. He later made his debut in the reserves during the 1936-37 season. A 5’ 8" outside right, he signed professional forms on his seventeenth birthday on 14 December 1937.

He made one first team appearance for Avenue at Bury on 26 March 1938. Alfred was part of a fifteen-man squad that embarked on a tour of Denmark in June 1938. Avenue played two matches - drawing with Copenhagen 2-2 and defeating Nykobing 1-0. On returning to Britain Alfred appeared in a pre-season first team v reserves at Park Avenue on 16 August. An emerging talent, sometime afterwards he joined First Division Portsmouth. His stay at Fratton Park was brief, before he made a first team appearance he signed for Manchester City in May 1939. He found lodgings in the Ardwick district of Manchester.

The outbreak of War in September 1939 put Alfred’s career on hold. Given his ties to Bradford, it was natural that he would become a Wartime ‘guest’ player for both Bradford clubs. He made five appearances at outside right for Bradford City between November and December 1939. Alfred scored on his debut when City defeated his old club Bradford Park Avenue 4-3 at Valley Parade on 4 November 1939.

He also turned out twice for Park Avenue in 1940 and once for Manchester City against New Brighton on 14th September 1940 at Maine Road - City won 5-2 in front of 4,000 fans.

In February 1941 he married Eileen Haigh at Gildersome Parish Church. They set up home at 9 Hawthorne Terrace, Street Lane, Gildersome. Around May he joined the RAF and in the October of that year he went to Calgary, Canada to learn to fly under the Empire Training Scheme. He earned his wings and became a sergeant-pilot in early 1942. He completed his training back in the UK at Catfoss near Hull.

He was posted to 235 Squadron, flying Bristol Beaufighters out of Chivenor airbase, North Devon. In October 1942 he shot down a Junkers 88 over the Bay of Biscay. The story was featured in the Morley Observer.

"When we first saw it," said Sergt. Keeling, "we thought it was another Beaufighter. Then, as we closed and opened up, the Junkers tried to turn away, but one of its engines gave out black smoke and it went straight down into the sea on one wing tip. It disappeared completely and after the splash subsided there was no trace of it at all."

On the way home the Beaufighter’s compass behaved erratically and caused the navigator to make a landfall on the coast of France instead of England. Nazi anti-aircraft defences opened fire. A cannon shell burst just behind the navigator, the fuselage of the Beaufighter was riddled with holes, and a splinter ripped the back of the navigators tunic without hurting him.

Sergeant Keeling brought his aircraft back in its damaged state and made a successful "belly landing," the hydraulic controls of the under-carriage being useless.

A couple of weeks later Alfred shot down another Junkers.

On 1 December 1942 Alfred took off as part of a formation at 1.30pm on an offensive patrol over the Bay of Biscay. The formation was attacked and broken up by enemy aircraft. Alfred’s plane must have been shot down in the melee. Black smoke was seen rising from the sea and an aldis lamp was briefly seen flashing, but sadly that was the only sign of life. Aged only 21 he was posted missing. Also on board the aircraft was his observer Sgt. Jack Brook. No trace was ever found of Alfred’s plane and he is thus named on the Royal Air Force Runnymede Memorial, near Windsor.

He is also commemorated on the Gildersome War Memorial and on a memorial in the Parish Church.

The photograph of the young Alfred (above) was taken from a Bradford Park Avenue programme, the text of which we reproduce to show how styles (and prices!) have changed:

AVENUE CAMEOS

Alfred Keeling (Centre-forward or Outside-right)

Only those of you who are interested in local schoolboy football may be familiar with the name of Alfred Keeling, the subject of today’s cameo, and who, you will note, is wearing a Park Avenue jersey, as he is rightly proud to do so. you see it is not so long ago that Alfred attained his sixteenth birthday and left the Carlton Street Secondary School, whereupon he was given employment on our ground staff with a view to the continuation of his football education which, we confidently hope, will ultimately make him a much better known individual than is the cae at the moment.

That is to say he is one of the subjects of our “nursery” scheme which aims at the cultivation and production of our own talent, and though this may entail a lot of patience in the ripening of a steady supply of players for first-class rank there can be no doubt it is worth while if attended with average success. Certainly Keeling, who was born at East Bierley and is a likeable lad, has both ambition and promise.

In fact, it will surprise you to learn that during the present season he has scored over 60 goals, 27 for Carlton Street and 38 for the Sedburgh Club with whom he has played at centre forward in the Senior Nig-Nog League. Only twice has he appeared in our reserve side and then at outside right so as to keep him away from the buffetings which a centre forward is inclined to get in the grade of play for full grown men.

Not that alfred is a weakling or at all timorous. He scales 10st. 9lbs. and is 5ft. 8in. in height, so is strongly built for his years. Besides having figured in Bradford schools sides - he was at centre forward for the secondary team which met Glasgow at Valley Parade last season - he has occasionally assisted East Bierley.

One of Bradford’s representatives im the Yorkshire schools athletic championships Alfred was fourth in the quarter mile, third in the 220, and second in the 100 yards. In the sprint event he returned a time of 10 8-12 seconds.

Here’s hoping he will develop into a famous footballer

Thanks to John Keeling and Chris Ambler for additional information.