Team: Begovic, Kakay, Dunne, Gubbins, Paal, Dozzell, Field, Chair, Richards, Willock, Dykes Attendance: 5,138 (including over 2,000 R’s fans) With no let-up in the incessant rain, we decided to enter the Cherry Red Records Stadium upon arrival and, although the away end had been sold out, we were informed that we could sit anywhere. Rangers Continue reading
Frank Sinatra’s Charity Performances at the Gaumont Cinema, Hammersmith
At the end of May 1962, Frank Sinatra’s private aircraft, ‘The Christina’, landed at Heathrow Airport. He brought his own band with him, which included his long-time pianist, Bill Miller, plus Emil Richards, Ralph Pena, Irving Cottler, Harry Klee and guitarist Al Viola. Frank firstly appeared at the Royal Festival Hall on 1st June. The midnight performance was for the Invalid Children’s Aid Association. The following (partial) report was written by Continue reading
Enfield Town (0) – QPR Development Squad (1)
Team: Cant, Jude-Boyd, Leahy, Harrack, Rendall (capt), Angelov, Petrie, Talla, Balla, Murphy, Kolli Attendance: 310 After Sammy had collected Alan Barnes, Simon Staal and Ifrom Park Royal, we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in good time. A limited number of programmes appeared, which had been printed off from their website and later team sheets also became available. The young Rangers squad included a number of trialists. With some players unavailable, the Enfield side was made up witha Continue reading
The Blue Jeans’ Skiffle Group
The following article appeared in the West London Observer on 17th May 1957: ‘Further news of ‘The Blue Jeans’ Skiffle group – the boys, under leader George Plummer, of Shepherd’s Bush, who have been providing musical entertainment at the Classic cinema during the past fortnight: They now possess a silver cup. They won it on Tuesday evening at an Continue reading
QPR (4) – Luton Town (1) – ‘The Rangers Started as if the Result was a Forgone Conclusion’
League Division 3 Team: Hill, Blackman, Grimsdell, Grant, Mitchell, O’Brien, Faulkner, Birch, Smith, Gregory, Middlemiss After a goalless draw at Reading the previous week, it was Luton Town who travelled to Loftus Road on 25th September 1920. A match report, from a Luton perspective, appeared in the Beds & Herts Pictorial three days later: ‘It was the first time I had seen the Town Continue reading
QPR (3) – Arsenal (2) – ‘It was Soon Evident that Our Lads were Bent on Winning’
Football League South Team: Gregory, Rose, Abel, Forsyth, Ridyard, Attwell, Sibley, Daniels, Heathcote, Mallett, Darragon Attendance: 10,000 On 6th January 1945, QPR took on Arsenal at Loftus Road. The Rangers side included four guest players, namely; Gregory, Forsyth, Attwell and Sibley. An appeal on behalf of the Red Cross Prisoners-of-War Fund was made in the match programme: ‘You are earnestly asked to be as generous as Continue reading
‘They are the Rangers, the Gallant Rangers, the Men Who Lead the Way’
Towards the end of a newspaper article from October 1898, “TRABBOTS” mentioned: ‘That the song written by Mr Dibsdale about Queen’s Park Rangers is very popular.’ Unfortunately, no other information about it has come to light, but I then remembered something that appeared in the ‘Club Notes’ of the Bristol City match programme in March Continue reading
Watford (0) – QPR (2) – ‘And Brown had little difficulty in putting the Ball into the Net’
Southern League (Division One) Team: Collins, Newlands, White, Bowman, Hitch, Freeman, Hamilton, Mayes, Brown, Blackwood, Wilson Attendance: 4,000 On 6th December 1902, Rangers travelled to Watford. The following match report appeared in the Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette a week later: ‘This game was played at Watford on Saturday before a sprinkling of spectators, and in fine Continue reading
The Fox & Goose Hotel, Hanger Lane, London W5
One of the reasons I’ve been meaning to visit ‘The Fox & Goose’ is because ‘The Who’ performed there in 1963 as ‘The Detours’. They made their one and only appearance there on Friday 11th January. I came across the website shown below, which revealed that there was a Jazz Club there in the 1950’s. Continue reading
In Memory of John Hollins MBE
John was born in Guildford on 16th July 1946. His football career began with Chelsea and he made his first team debut in September 1963 against Swindon Town. John gained an England cap in 1967 when he played in the 2-0 win against Spain at Wembley. He signed for the R’s in June 1975 for Continue reading