After knocking out Stoke City in the 4th round, Rangers then took on Luton Town on 7th February 1948.
Over 30,000 attended the match at Loftus Road, but despite loudspeaker appeals during the game, a fence eventually collapsed.
Gladys Hammon of Stuart Road, Acton, was standing on the edge of the pitch when the fence gave way, injuring her left heel. She was taken to Hammersmith hospital but wasn’t detained.
Young fans were passed over the heads of spectators and on to the pitch.
The incident was described by Club Secretary, George Hurley, as: “undoubtedly the most anxious afternoon throughout my years with the Club.”
‘The scene shows police and ambulance men endeavouring to deal with a situation that might have proved disastrous, when a section of the fencing collapsed under the weight of the record crowd.’
‘Fortunately, there were no serious casualties. For the record, QPR beat Luton Town by 3 goals to 1, in a thrill-packed game which had the crowd rocking’.
It was reported that the match had been made all-ticket and limited to 30,000 (the official attendance was 30,564) after consultations with the police.
Danny Boxshall, Cyril Hatton and Billy McEwan were the R’s scorers.
Rangers were then drawn at home to Derby County in the quarter-finals.
Steve Russell
(Thanks to Colin Woodley for his assistance)