Doughboys ‘Go to Town’ was the headline in the Nottingham Evening Post on the 23rd November 1944 when they 'invaded' the city to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
In the afternoon, on the Meadow Lane Ground, there was an American ball game and after the game, the American Red Cross had made arrangements to provide a turkey dinner to the visitors.
The sight of American Service Personnel in Nottingham was nothing new as Members of the US 82nd Airborne Division 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment were based in the Nottingham area at Tollerton Hall and Wollaton Park respectively.
But the game of American Football that was held at Notts County’s Meadow Lane ground on 23rd November 1944 was something of a spectacle that not many English folk would have seen before and was believed to be the first occasion that a game of this sort had been played in Nottingham. Local newspapers including the Nottingham Journal and Nottingham Evening Post gave an explanation of the game.
The public of Nottingham were afforded the view of a ‘real’ American version of football when two American Service Teams, the Henley’s Hurricanes and Berger Bruisers clashed in a what promised to be a rough and tumble game. The game was staged under the auspices of the American Red Cross and the US Army Special Service Branch.
The Berger’s Bruisers as they were called in the newspaper reports, (or as per A Breathtaking Spectacle they were referred to as Berger’s Bouncers) were from AAF Station 489 Cottesmore and named after Colonel Harvey A Berger, the Commanding Officer of the 316th Troop Carrier Group (TCG) and the game would comprise no fewer than 64 players.
The Berger’s team had only recently been formed in the latter part of October 44 and played their first game on the 5th November which they won 6-0. The game took place on a sports field opposite the Officers Mess off Rogues Lane.
On Armistice Day, 11th November, no flying took place and they played their second game which again they won, 7-0.
As for the game at Notts County’s Meadow Lane Ground, their opponents were the Henley’s Hurricanes from the 1st Tactical Air Depot (TAD) from AAF Station 479 North Witham just a few miles from Cottesmore, across the other side of the A1.
The Berger’s Bruisers players (with school or town & state) were:
S/Sgt Constantine (Moravaian College, Penn.); Sgt Bellew (Waco, Texas); Cpl Belt (Baltimore, Md); Cpl Decenzo (Columbus, Ohio); Cpl Salstrand (Chicago, Ill.); Cpl Murphy (St Anselm’s Coll, N.H.); S/Sgt Fisher (St Mary’s U, Texas); Cpl Loughlin (U. of Pittsburgh, Penn); Sgt Duffy (Chicago, Ill); Cpl Tacca (Hershey, Pa); PFC Messerley (Toledo, Ohio); S/Sgt Williamson (Dayton, Ohio); Pte Heckman (Pittsburgh, Penn); S/Sgt Hart (Rochester, New York); s/Sgt Mavis (Ill.); Cpl Palazola (Detroit, Mich.); Sgt Thompson (Kansas); Cpl Alonzo (New York); Cpl Fiore (Mass); Pte Ciancanelli (Chicago Ill); Sgt Burke (New York); Sgt Barto (Penn); Cpl Welmstein (Penn); Pte Sakolowsky (Penn); Pte Rixey (Monessen, Penn.); Maj Shadwell (Los Angeles, Cal.); Lt Tornatta (Evansville, Ind.); Lt McShane (Princeton); Capt Maki (U of Ariz.); F/O Menzel (Wisconsin); F/O Weatherby (Texas); F/O Brockman (Wis.); F/O Wells (Va.); F/O Hoffman (Camden, N.J.), F/O Simons (Texas).
The line up for the Hurricane’s was:
Sgt J L Berley (San Diego, Cal.); 1st Lt W S Brown; S/Sgt R J Bruton (Tulsa, Okla.); Cpl Lou Boggano (Norwood, Ohio); 1/Sgt R P Cashmore (Chicago, Ill.); Sgt W G Crawford (Cookeville, Tenn.); Sgt I H Cole (Findlay, Ohio); 1/Sgt RVE Curry (Los Angeles, Cal.); Cpl J J Delbert (New Orleans, La); Capt H F Detmer (Highland Park, Ill.); Cpl P T Daniel (Kansas City, Mo.); Cpl G D De Vaney (Mobile, Ala.); Cpl D E Doerfort (Dayton, Ohio); Sgt K C Does (Buffalo, New York); S/Sgt L R Everett (Mason, Michigan); T/Sgt G Fishter (Maysville, Kentucky); Cpl R Fresby (Sparta, Michigan); Cpl R W Gochoel (Dayton, Ohio); 1st Lt E E Gray (Miami Beach, Fla); Sgt R Hagedorn (Newport, KY); 1st Lt H L Haller (Carthage, NY); 1st Lt G R Hoover (Williams, Minn.); M/Sgt R L Huffman (Mt Hope, W. Va.); Cpl E J Koslowski (Pittsburgh, Pa.); Pte F X Leonard (S. Ozone Park, NY.); PFC C L MacLennan (Malden, Mass.); Cpl A E Myren (S. Bend, Wash.); M/Sgt R F O’Brein (Madisonville, O.); S/Sgt F A Owens (Dexter, Missouri); Pte T J Pease (Washington, Iowa,) S/Sgt B W Potdevin (Jersey City, NY); Cpl E Rynard (Harrisburg, Pa.); Capt R Robson Jn (Cranford, N.J.); PFC D B Walker (Macon, Ga.); Maj H H Weiley (Millwaukee, Wis.).
Personnel from the 316th TCG and the 1st TAD were shipped into the ground from their bases in trucks so they could support their teams. For the benefit of the Nottingham spectators who were new to the game, a loudspeaker system was installed and provided the crowd with a description of the exchanges as well as explaining the game.
Resembling English Rugby, the American game has assumed the style where the team with weight and ruggedness has the advantage over a team of equal skill, but lighter weight. Each team is composed of eleven men, seven in the line, and four backs. The backs do the ball handling, while the linemen carry the brunt of the assault with their blocking and tackling, or as the Americans say “mule work”.
The field of play is 100 yards long, measured off in tens, and approximately 50 yards wide, with the object for the team in possession of the ball to cross their opponents’ goal line. The game is started by one team kicking off to the other from their own 40-yard line. The team receiving the ball then have for tries to gain 10 yards, and if it does, remains in possession of the ball for another four tries until they score.
Each time the team with the ball crosses their opponent’s goal, they receive six points, and a chance to gain an extra point on one more play from three yards away. After each touchdown, as a goal is called, a kick-off is again made.
The final score after the game was Berger’s Bruiser’s (Bouncer’s) 6 – Henley’s Hurricanes 0.
Following the game, the US troops were entertained at the US Red Cross Headquarters in the Nottingham Overseas Club on Derby Road. They were treated to a special turkey luncheon for all American and Dominion Service men, and among the civic guests were the Lord Mayor (Councillor F Carney), and the Sherif (Dr W B Blandy) and this was followed by a dance cabaret.
The menu at the Overseas Club included turkey, with cranberry sauce, plum pudding and fruit pie, and the whole of the expenses had been defrayed by two warm supporters of the Club from Overseas – Mr W C Church of Beverly Hills, California; and Mr J R Kennedy, of Toronto. There were nearly 100 guests, Americans predominating, with a sprinkling of men from Canada and Australia. Two women members of the American Red Cross were also present.
The Lord Mayor, who, with the Sheriff, had a meal with the guests, recalled the meaning of Thanksgiving Day, and said it referred to eight men and women who sailed across the Atlantic 323 years ago to found a great nation. She would play her part in founding a new order out of the present world strife. He went on to say “it is with you and Australia that we are going to make a new order in the coming days taht will be more blessed, holy and steadfast in moral things than the past one.”
The Sheriff said he was full of gratitude for what America had done for this country. It was the second time she had come to our rescue. He hoped that when she put us on our feet again we should never slip and he added “We are proud in this country that a few of the Pilgrim Fathers came from the North of Notts.”
Miss Alexandra Grow of California was the Assistant Director of the American Red Cross in Nottingham, returned the guests’ thanks for the hospitality.
Welcoming the guests were Mr Martin Daniels (Chairman of the club), Mr Fred W Gray (Hon. Sec), and members of the committee.
(All images A Breathtaking Spectacle Vol 1 Book II).