Sidney Pugh
At the age of just 16 years, young Sidney - a half-back - signed amateur forms for Arsenal on 26 April 1936. However, he seems to have spent at least part of the following season, 1936-7, with Isthmian League side, Nunhead, in south London. The Isthmian League has, in recent years, evolved into the Ryman League. However in Sidney's day, it was the premier amateur league in the country, and Nunhead were one of its top clubs. In Sidney's one season at the Club they finished runners-up in the League to Kingstonian, and ahead of the likes of Wycombe and Wimbledon. It was Nunhead's custom to embark upon an annual Easter Trip to the Continent, and in 1937 Sidney was a member of the party which visited Dieppe. Nunhead played games against FC Dieppois and FC De Flers. Nunhead, whose origins dated back to 1888, had become an unofficial nursery club to Arsenal, with its most famous product being dual football and cricket international, Dennis Compton - who left Nunhead for Highbury just a couple of years before Sidney. The Isthmian League ceased activities upon the outbreak of War in 1939. From 1939-41 Nunhead played in a new war-time competition, the South-Eastern Combination, but financial problems set in. In addition, difficulties arose with the lease on their stadium - Brown's Ground, in St Asaphs Road - and finding a new home during wartime proved impossible. Consequently, in 1941 the Club then ceased activities, and - despite valiant attempts to find a home and maintain the Club - never reappeared after the War.
Margate had finished fourth in the Southern League (then the top league outside of the Football League) in 1936-7, but had dropped down to the Kent League in 1937 on financial grounds. Sidney was ever-present in his one season at Margate, playing 42 games in all competitions. He scored once, on 26 February 1938 in a 7-0 demolition of Sheppey United. Margate won the Kent League that year, and the Southern League Championship Match (for the previous season) against Ipswich Town, by 6-2. The Margate side of Sidney's era were clearly an outstanding team at their level, as their league record that season shows - played 34, won 25, drew 4, lost 5, scored 109 goals, conceded 34. Margate have continued to operate in and around the higher levels of non-league football since Sidney's time, although not without their ups and downs. In the 1980s they changed their name to Thanet United, but reverted to Margate in 1990. In the late 1990s their fortunes began to rise, culminating in their promotion to the Conference in 2001. Sadly, in 2004, they were demoted from the Nationwide Conference to the Conference South, due to continuing problems with the re-development of their ground which had resulted in a period of ground-sharing at Dover Athletic.
Margate FC 1937-8 - Kent League Champions - Sidney is fourth from the right on the middle row (Photograph by kind permission of Jeff Trice)
He played 36 games at youth and reserve level for the Gunners, before his first-team debut came on Good Friday (8 April) 1939 at St Andrew's, away to Birmingham City, when his team-mates included the famous Ted Drake. The side that day was:- Wilson, Male, Hapgood, Crayston, Fields, Pugh, Jones (G), Jones (L), Drake, Drury, Kirchen. Sidney's debut ended tragically, however, when he broke his leg in what would prove to be his only senior appearance for the Gunners. Programmes for the Gunners' Easter Monday fixture at home to Blackpool had already been printed, and Sidney was listed to play at left-half - but he never did make his home League debut. Arsenal eventually finished fifth in Division One at the end of that 1938-39 season, the last before the War.
The programme team-sheet for Sidney's home league debut - that never was On 28 September 1940, Sidney made his one guest appearance for Bradford City in their derby at Park Avenue, playing inside-right in a 2-0 success, before an attendance of just 2,987. The City team was:- Hewaert, Murphy, Jones, Powell Clapham, Moore, Beresford, Pugh, Hinsley, Ottewell, Smailes.
Pugh was a "pupil Pilot" with the RAF Volunteer Reserve attached to 30 O.T.U. (Operational Training Unit), and based at RAF Hixon, Staffordshire. The Wellington Bomber This Unit was formed in June 1942, and was equipped with Wellington bombers to train night bomber crews. By 1944, it was operating Wellington III and Xs. Hixon had a "satellite" airfield at RAF Seighford, about 15 miles to the west, which was the base for 23 Group Heavy Glider Conversion Unit (H.G.C.U.). Both airfields were part of 93 Group Bomber Command. At 00.06 hours on Saturday, 15 April 1944, Wellington HE465 took off from Seighford on a night training exercise. Flight Lieutenant Ernest James Bull (aged 25, from Bristol) was the instructor. His crew were Flying Officer Sidney Pugh, Flying Officer Ronald O'Neill (21, from Bognor Regis), Sergeant Alan Whitehead (19, from Otley) and Sergeant Michael Casey Pocock (20, from Hartley, Kent). Just two minutes after taking off, the Wellington crashed after hitting a hill at Swansmoor, four or five miles south-east of Sidney's base at Hixon. The exact location is recorded as a field near New Buildings Farm, Admaston, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire. Sgt Pocock survived the crash, badly injured, and was rushed to hospital but sadly died later that day. Tragically, Sidney and the rest of the crew were killed outright, with Sidney's death certificate stating that his death had occurred "due to War operations". Flying Officer Sidney James Pugh RAFVR was just 24 years of age. Sidney's rank, as a trainee, suggested that he may well have seen service in some flying capacity in the RAF earlier in the War - probably in other commands, and possibly abroad. He may well have been posted to 30 O.T.U. for conversion to bombers for operation from the UK. A sad irony was that Flight Lieutenant Bull, though injured, had survived a similar accident at Alsop-en-le-Dale, Ashbourne less than a year earlier whilst posted to 81 O.T.U. One member of his crew had died. Sidney was still on Arsenal's books at the time of his death, and was one of 9 players out of their squad of 42 professionals in 1939 who were later to be killed in WW2 - the highest of any Football League Club.
Sidney is buried in the family plot (grave 282) at Llanharan and Peterston-super-Montem joint cemetery, in the village of Llanharan, between Bridgend and Llantrisant in South Wales. He is also commemorated on the Llanharan Memorial, on the Brynna Road in the village.
The Llanharan Memorial
Research by Andrew Pickles, Chris Ambler, Andy George and David Fell Photographs of Llanharan Cemetery and Memorial by Andy George Photographs of Sidney Pugh and Margate FC courtesy of Jeff Trice
Sources:- Nunhead Football Club 1888-1949, Mick Blakeman (Yore Publications, 2000) Gone But Not Forgotten Part 4, Dave Twydell (Yore Publications, 1994) Commonwealth War Graves Commission Arsenal, The Official History, Phil Soar & Martin Tyler (Hamlin, 1987,updated 2005) Bradford City, A Complete Record, 1903-1988, Terry Frost (Breedon Books, 1988) | ||
 | | |
Sidney James Pugh was born on 10 October 1919 at the then family home in Apple Avenue, Welling, Bexley, Kent - the son of Evan James Pugh (a motor mechanic) and his wife Annice.
After his season in the amateur game, Sidney moved to semi-professional football at Margate for season 1937-8. Margate had become the official nursery club to Arsenal in 1934 - with their Hartsdown Park pitch being reduced in size to match Highbury!
On 7 May 1938, Sidney signed as a professional with Arsenal.
Unfortunately, Sidney's activities in the early part of the War are as yet unknown, but by 1944, Flying Officer 136696
| | |