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Kick-off after war
AS the Boys Dinner Hour Club (BDHC) prepared for the forthcoming football season, troops were coming home from the war but the nearly four million men who were demobbed between June 1945 and December 1946 found Britain had changed over the past six years.
VJ Day on August 15, 1945 marked the official end of World War Two.
Years of rebuilding and rationing lay ahead but work was plentiful and the fortunate families had their loved ones back.
The season started on August 25 and the Dinner Hour Club started in convincing fashion with a 10 – 1 away victory over Greaves Central School Old Boys in Barton Road, Scotforth.
This victory set the stage for a run of 10 wins, one defeat and a draw in the next 12 games.
The BDHC's biggest test though came at the beginning of December when the two top teams in the league met at Garstang with the home team winning by 2 – 1 and another defeat at St Paul's Juniors by 5 – 4 dropped the BDHC to second place in the league.
The positive news for the club at this time was that membership had been closed at 220 and three of the team: John Young, Keith Westworth and Stan King were selected to play in a trial match at Deepdale, Preston on January 15, 1946 from which a Boys' Club County team would be chosen.
At the annual meeting in January 1946 Earl Peel, the president, supported by the management committee proposed that the name of the Lancaster Boys' Dinner Hour Club should be changed to Red Rose Boys' Club.
The club served all parts of the town and was composed of boys following diverse occupations and also schoolboys.
Billiards, football, darts, shooting, lino printing, table tennis, cricket, swimming, boxing, woodwork, aero modelling, marine training and a monthly cinema show ensured that all club members could find an interest and nobody could claim as many do in the present age that "there is nothing for kids to do".
As the league season came to an end and BDHC missed out on the title by one point to Garstang Juniors the teams were now involved in the Junior Challenge Cup, which was contested on a league basis.
The Royal Lancaster Infirmary Junior Cup was also up for grabs and after beating Mayfield Juniors 9 – 0 the BDHC overcame Lancaster Lads Club Juniors 6 – 2 in the semi final prior to losing 2 – 3 to Bolton-le-Sands in the final.
The semi-final of the Junior Challenge Cup ended with a victory over Mayfield 2 – 1 but the lads suffered another disappointment when they lost the final to Garstang 1 – 2 on Barton Road.
Savings stamps were presented to the winners and runners-up in each competition in lieu of medals.
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Weather for Lancaster
Friday 10 February 2012
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Temperature: -0 C to 4 C
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