September marks the 81st anniversary of Operation Market Garden, still a controversial episode of the Second World War, immortalised in the book and film 'A Bridge Too Far' which perpetuates several myths but at least keeps the event alive for the public at large.

Less well known, even amongst Hamlet fans is that this battle saw the death of our youngest and final casualty of that global conflict.

Richard Allen (Alan) Adams was born in Camberwell on May 22nd 1925. At the time of his death, he was living at 58 Sunray Avenue in Herne Hill with the rest of his family. He had been a pupil of Archbishop Tenison’s Grammar School in Kennington and on the outbreak of war, had been evacuated out of the capital to the relative safety of Reading in Berkshire. He was an accomplished sportsman and represented his school at athletics, cricket and football – both of the latter two at First XI level.

Alan left school in mid-1941, returning to live at the family home and taking a job as a Junior Insurance Clerk. Alan also joined his local Home Guard Unit. Based at Lordship Lane he was there from 1942 pending his enlistment into the Army proper.

It was whilst serving with the Home Guard that the then 17-year old made his senior debut for the Hamlet on Saturday November 7th 1942. He played at Champion Hill in a 4-4 draw against the London Fire Force. Alan didn’t feature on the original team sheet but the following week’s programme explained that he had been a late call-up due to regular left-back Roger Bishop being detained at work and thus being unable to get to the ground in time for kick-off. 

That day, a youthful Hamlet team had found themselves 2-1 down at half time but made a spirited fightback in the second half to salvage the draw. The report on the game went on to say that the performance was…
“reminiscent of the peace time days when it was a bye-word that Dulwich Hamlet always played their hardest when up against it.” This same programme, which was for a match against the RAF seven days later on Saturday November 14th 1942, went on to say that “….the youngsters mentioned will be heard of again.” – so we can only assume that Alan performed well on his senior debut.

Alan enlisted into the Army on May 6th 1943. After completing his basic training, he transferred to the Army Air Corps on January 14th 1944 having volunteered to train as a Pilot with the Glider Pilot Regiment. At this point, Alan was promoted to the rank of Corporal, with a further promotion to Sergeant following on June 15th 1944.  He qualified as a glider pilot on July 27th 1944 and was then posted to E Squadron, No. 2 Wing. At the tender age of just 19, he was one of the youngest glider pilots in the British Army.

The role of a Glider Pilot was an extremely hazardous one. Not only were they expected to fly the heavily laden gliders into landing zones through hostile skies, but upon touching down, they were then expected to fight as infantrymen alongside the airborne troops they had just transported, required to survive until such time as they could be evacuated out of the landing zone back to friendly territory. 

On September 18th 1944, the Horsa glider piloted by Adams left from RAF Down Ampney as part of the Second Wave of landings for Market Garden. Towed by a Dakota transport aircraft, the glider carried a heavy load of a Jeep plus two trailers full of ammunition as well as two passengers from Headquarters, 1 Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery. 

The flight initially went according to plan but when approaching the landing zone at Wolfheze, the gliders came under fire from German flak. A shell burst close to the starboard wing of Alan’s aircraft, spraying him with shrapnel. Alan slumped over the controls and although his Second Pilot Richard Ennis took over, he could not recover full control, with the result that the glider overshot the Landing Zone and ploughed into trees at over 100mph.  Ennis was catapulted through the Perspex windscreen whilst still strapped into his seat. Amazingly,  along with two  passengers in the rear, he survived unscathed, Sadly, Alan was crushed by the load behind him which shifted forward with the impact of the crash.

Alan’s death was reported in Hamlet's match programme for the fixture against Pinner on December 2nd 1944. It described him as “a promising left back for the Reserves, who had one or two games for the senior side before joining the Forces.”  The same article also hints at a wider family connection with the club as it mentions that “his father used to referee some of our games on the top pitch.” Alan's remains are today interred at Oosterbeek War Cemetery, 7km west of Arnhem in the Netherlands.

With thanks to Steve Hunnisett and the Dulwich Hamlet FC History Group

DULWICH HAMLET & THE WAR TIME RED CROSS MATCHES

During World War Two the FA authorised FA Red Cross matches featuring representative teams with profits from the games going to the Red Cross charity organisation. Dulwich Hamlet were the first Amateur club to be awarded a Red Cross match. But poor weather meant the game – an FA XI against an RAF XI originally scheduled for February 3rd 1940 – was postponed. The match was re-arranged for March 30th and featured England captain Eddie Hapgood, Sam Bartram and Peter Doherty alongside figures less well-known today such as Amateur international Lester Finch and Full international Alf Kirchen.

A fortnight earlier a Red Cross match had been held at Guildford City with a crowd of 3,000 seeing the FA draw 1-1 with Surrey FA. Three Dulwich Hamlet men appeared in the match - Bill Parr on the FA team and both Reg Anderson and Henry Ball on Surrey’s side. Anderson and Parr would both be subsequently killed whilst serving with the RAF. Profits from the re-arranged Champion Hill match were split between the Red Cross and the St John War Organisation. Dulwich remained the first Amateur club to host such a fixture and appealed to their fans to turn up, describing it as ‘a red-letter day’ in Hamlet’s history. 12,000 spectators attended. Also present to report on the clash was the legendary Charles Buchan, who stated the match was very good value for the sixpence entrance fee. The RAF XI won 3-2 and Buchan felt that the FA XI’s Amateurs, including Hamlet players Horace Robbins and Anderson, were exposed in defence due to their lack of knowledge of the three back system. He suggested that they had 1937 FA Cup winner and wartime international goalkeeper Johnny Mapson to thank for keeping the defeat to a respectable score.
Roger Deason 

TEAMS: FA XI – Mapson (Sunderland), Robbins (Dulwich), Hapgood (Arsenal), Lewis (W'stow Ave), Oakes (Charlton), Weaver (Chelsea), Duns (Charlton), Anderson (Dulwich), Morrison (Spurs), Goulden
(West Ham), Bott (LPTB – a short notice reserve)

RAF XI – Bartram (Charlton), Griffiths
(Man Utd), Scott (Arsenal), Crayston (Arsenal), Brown (Huddersfield), Buckingham (Spurs),
King (Wolves), Ainsley (Leeds), Kirchen (Arsenal), Doherty (Man City), Finch (Barnet)