Dutchman: John Arthur (John)

WW2 Guest: 1944-1945 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Inside Forward

Born: Harrogate: 08-10-1925

Debut: v Derby County (a): 18-03-1944

6'0" 12st 3lb

"John A Dutchman was born in the Harrogate area in 1925, and by World War Two was a student at Cockburn Grammar School in Leeds. He was first selected for the Leeds United Reserves in September of 1942 and played a few matches in September before going to Cambridge University in early October. 1943-44 saw the same pattern, though with a first team appearance coming in March 1944. During the war, the Varsity match versus Oxford University was played twice each season rather than the usual once in peace time, and in 1943-44 he played in both matches. He was selected for England ATC against Scotland ATC at Shawfield Stadium, home of Clyde FC. In 1944-45 he made one first team appearance with Leeds in September, and does not appear to have been selected in any reserve games. In 1945-46, he made three first team appearances, but was selected twenty-five to thirty times for the reserve side. In 1946-47 he appears to have had his last contact with the club when he was selected for the reserves in October 1946. He played for Cambridge University in Varsity matches after the end of the Second World War, presumably after he had finished his military service and could have done a Doctorate in 1948 to 1949. Ken Shearwood's book on the history of the famous 1950’s amateur club, Pegasus FC, indicates that he was one of the early members of that club in 1949, although the next confirmed trace I have found of him is that he played six Scottish League games for Queen's Park during January to March 1950. In 1951, he was a member of the Pegasus side that won the F.A. Amateur Cup, but he was then one of a group of players who left to play with Corinthians Casuals following a dispute over playing membership rules. Next mention I know of him is that he toured Libya with Corinthian Casuals in April 1953. He was a good enough player to be selected twice for the England Amateur International side, against Republic of Ireland on 8th March 1952 and against Wales on 24th April 1954. That, however, is the last I can find of his football career. Professionally, he was a Teacher at Chigwell School from some time in the early 1950's, becoming a senior official of the Independent Schools FA. I think that through that position he may have become a member of the FA Council, similar to ex-referee & Harrow School teacher David Elleray. As far as I am aware, he was still alive until fairly recently. A website related to Chigwell School has mention of a dinner early this year to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of his connection with the school, and on the ISFA website he is listed as a life member. His record suggests he must have been fairly close to professional standard."(Information kindly supplied by Neil Roche). Little is known about John Dutchman, but he is thought to have been on the Leeds United staff in the War years and first started with Cockburn. He only played five games for Leeds and scored twice. The first came in the 2-2 home draw in the 1943-44 Football League Northern Section (Second Championship) game with Derby County, when he played at Inside Right. His second game came in the 0-1 home defeat in the 1944-45 Football League Northern Section (First Championship) game with Sunderland, in which he was again at Inside Right. The other three games were all at Inside Right in the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section in a 2-1 home win over Preston North End, in which he scored, a 4-2 home win over Sunderland in which he again scored and his final game was in the reverse fixture the following week at Roker Park when United went down 1-5. It is not thought that Dutchman played professionally in the Football League, he did, however play, as an amateur for the Scottish side Queens Park from 3rd January 1950 to 25th March 1950, as a Centre Forward, scoring three goals in six Scottish League games and also played in one Scottish Cup tie without scoring. He was a member of the Pegasus Amateur Cup-winning team in 1950-51. The News Chronicle Annual of that 1951-52: J.A. Dutchman of Cambridge University played at Inside Right for Pegasus in the 1950-51 Amateur Cup Final when they beat Bishop Auckland 2-1 in front of a crowd of 100,000, who paid £22,809 for the privilege on 21st April 1951. For Pegasus, Tanner led the line brilliantly, while wingers Pawson and Potts constantly worried the Bishop Auckland defence and Carr and Dutchman completed the line that played with determination and understanding. Coached by Vic Buckingham, the Spurs full-back, Pegasus employed the “push and run” style. Half time came with no score but seven minutes into the second half Dutchman sent a long high pass across the Bishop Auckland goal and Potts headed it into the net. With ten minutes left a beautiful move, in which Dutchman was prominent, ended with Tanner making it 2-0. With two minutes to go Nimmins reduced the arrears for Bishop Auckland. John's friend Malcolm Rogers, has kindly given extremely rare photographs from his private collection and added to John's personal details and has also added the following information. "John Dutchman was born 8th October 1925. When he joined Leeds he was just over 6 feet in height and his playing weight was always between 12st and 12st 3lbs. During 1943, whilst at Cambridge, he was called up and joined the RAF and trained as a bomb aimer in South Africa with Eighty-fifth squadron. He was about to see active service in the Far East when the atomic bombs were dropped in August 1945 which brought the war to an end. As a Flight Lieutenant he was posted to Germany and made the Sports & Welfare Officer for all North Germany. He was captain of the Combined Services team and they beat Scotland. He did indeed play for Queens Park (six games), this was whilst he was teaching at Glasgow Academy; he was told that had he been born in Scotland he would have been selected to play for them. He had returned to Cambridge in 1947 and played for the university and the combined side with Oxford - Pegasus - and, as you say, he was a member of the F.A. Amateur Cup-winning side in 1951. Tony Pawson, who died on 11th October 2012, another member of that side. John is a life member of the ISFA but was not on the FA council itself (his close friend Doug Insole, who was also at Cambridge, is). He joined Chigwell School in September 1950 and remained there for his entire career; playing for Walthamstow Avenue and the Casuals and ultimately the Old Chigwellian Vets. When he joined Leeds, things were very different in those days with insecurity, low wages, war etc and his father advised him to seek a job which would provide security and a pension, hence teaching. Otherwise, there is no doubt whatsoever that he would have played professional football. John is currently rather ill with the problems associated with old age, I saw him last week and he was quite perky. He is a remarkable man and those that came under his tuition in sport are grateful to him beyond measure. Malcolm Rogers". Unfortunately John passed away on 22nd June 2014 at the age of eighty-eight.

TRIBUTES & OBITUARIES

Corinthian Casuals:

A tribute to John Dutchman who died on 22 June, aged 88

John Dutchman was an England Amateur International and distinguished forward for Corinthian-Casuals during the 1950s and 60s. Born at Harrogate in Yorkshire on 8 October 1925 he went to school at Cockburn G.S in Leeds and soon attracted the attention of Leeds United, totting up some 30 games for the Reserves and a number for the First Team.

After six months at Cambridge in 1943 under a special wartime dispensation, where he quickly won a "blue" against Oxford, he was called up for fulltime RAF service and went to train as a bomb aimer in South Africa where, in an unusual side-line, he also wrote a dissertation on ostriches. A Flight/Lieut when the war ended he was posted to Germany as a Sports and Welfare officer. Back at Cambridge in 1948 he won another "blue" and scored in the university side captained by Doug Insole. He also played and scored against Oxford the following year. Later while doing teacher training in Scotland he played a number of games for Queens Park scoring three goals.

In 1951 he was a member of the recently formed combined Oxford and Cambridge side, Pegasus, that achieved a historic victory in the final of F.A. Amateur Cup against Bishop Auckland at Wembley in front of 100,000 spectators. John, at inside right, laid on one of the two goals in the 2- 1 win. Ken Shearwood, in his book on Pegasus, described John as: "leggy, tall and dangerous, a footballer through and through".

From the early 50s, having taken up a job teaching Geography at Chigwell School, he began to play regularly for Corinthian-Casuals, at inside forward or centre forward. In four seasons from 1951 he averaged some 30 First team games a season, scoring 37 goals. In 1952 he became the first Corinthian-Casuals' player to be awarded an England amateur international cap, scoring in the 8 - 3 defeat of the Republic of Ireland. He won a second cap against Wales in 1954.

In 1955/6 after a handful of games he moved to Walthamstow Avenue, thereby missing out on a possible place in the Corinthian-Casuals' team that reached the Amateur Cup Final that season. But he never lost touch with the club and played for the "A" and Schools team, alongside Doug Insole, until the mid sixties. His son David, who'd been at Chigwell, also played occasional games.

Throughout these years he was Head of Geography at Chigwell, also for a time, with his wife, Margaret, supervised the school's senior boarding house; he also ran football, coached cricket and swimming - and welcomed regular visits from our own Schools Team.

In February 2010 the School and Old Boys held a special dinner to mark his 60 years of association.

John died on 22 June after a long illness. After cremation at Forest Park Crematorium, Hainault on 9 July a memorial service will be held at Chigwell School on 4 October.

Written by David Harrison, with thanks to Norman Epps, Brian Wakefield and Doug Insole and David Morrison. 3/7/2014