Albert Mullard
Encyclopedia
Albert Thomas Mullard was an English
footballer. After spending most of World War II
in a Prisoner-of-war camp
he turned to professional football. He played for numerous Midlands
clubs, though his most successful time was with Port Vale
, making close to 200 appearances, winning a league title and reaching the FA Cup Semi-finals
in the process.
at a brickworks
, but enlisted in the Royal Marines
on 24 September 1940. He was posted to North Africa
and was eventually sent to Crete
as part of MNDBO1 (Marine Naval Base Defence Organisation). He participated in the Battle of Crete
in May 1941 and was captured by German Mountain Troops
on 31 May 1941 while fighting in the rearguard action to defend the British evacuation at Sfakia
.
He was moved to mainland Europe after his capture, spending time at Stalag III-D at Steglitz
(suburb of Berlin
) then transferred to Stalag IV-D at Torgau
, before being liberated by US troops
in April 1945. During his captivity in Germany he regularly corresponded via letter with his future wife, née Mary Rickuss who he had met briefly at a family function prior to his enlistment. Whilst a POW he played football for a Royal Marine side after his mother sent him his football boots in a Red Cross parcel. On his return to the United Kingdom
he contemplated staying in the Marines, but married Mary Rickuss and embarked on a career as a professional footballer.
, before entering the Football League
with Walsall
in the 1946–47 season, then playing in the Third Division South
. He remained with the "Saddlers" for three years, scoring 13 goals in 61 league games.
In June 1949 he joined Crewe Alexandra
, but left after the 1949–50 season to sign with Stoke City
of the First Division
. He played 21 league games for the Potters, mostly during the 1950–51 season.
In September 1951, he joined Stoke's rivals
Port Vale
, along with £10,000 for Alan Martin. He was the club's leading scorer of the 1951–52 campaign
with 13 goals. He was an ever-present during the 1953–54
campaign, where the club won the Football League Third Division North
title and reached the semi-finals
of the FA Cup
. However soon after he tore
a groin
muscle and was transferred to non-league Northwich Victoria
in the summer of 1956.
in 1984. He was survived by his wife Mary Mullard. They had two daughters, Mary and Janet.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer. After spending most of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in a Prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
he turned to professional football. He played for numerous Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
clubs, though his most successful time was with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, making close to 200 appearances, winning a league title and reaching the FA Cup Semi-finals
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
in the process.
Early life
Albert Mullard was born to Albert Ernest Mullard and Sarah Mullard (who outlived all three of her sons, Albert, Eric and Arthur) in 1920. His father died whilst Mullard was in his teens, which was possibly due to wounds sustained during the First World War, having been wounded three times during his service in the South Wales Borderers and then the Machine Gun Corps (after each wound)World War II
Mullard worked as a labourerLaborer
A Laborer or labourer - see variation in english spelling - is one of the construction trades, traditionally considered unskilled manual labor, as opposed to skilled labor. In the division of labor, laborers have all blasting, hand tools, power tools, air tools, and small heavy equipment, and act...
at a brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
, but enlisted in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
on 24 September 1940. He was posted to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and was eventually sent to Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
as part of MNDBO1 (Marine Naval Base Defence Organisation). He participated in the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
in May 1941 and was captured by German Mountain Troops
Gebirgsjäger
Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Riflemen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Jäger is the traditional German term for rifleman...
on 31 May 1941 while fighting in the rearguard action to defend the British evacuation at Sfakia
Sfakia
Sfakiá is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania peripheral unit. It is considered one of the few places in Greece to never have been fully occupied by foreign powers...
.
He was moved to mainland Europe after his capture, spending time at Stalag III-D at Steglitz
Steglitz
Steglitz is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in the south-west of Berlin, the capital of Germany. The locality also includes the neighbourhood of Südende.-History:...
(suburb of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
) then transferred to Stalag IV-D at Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
, before being liberated by US troops
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in April 1945. During his captivity in Germany he regularly corresponded via letter with his future wife, née Mary Rickuss who he had met briefly at a family function prior to his enlistment. Whilst a POW he played football for a Royal Marine side after his mother sent him his football boots in a Red Cross parcel. On his return to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
he contemplated staying in the Marines, but married Mary Rickuss and embarked on a career as a professional footballer.
Playing career
Mullard, a "good all-round player", played for Hinckley UnitedHinckley United F.C.
Hinckley United Football Club are an English football club, from Hinckley, Leicestershire currently playing in the Conference North. Formed only in 1997, the club has risen from the Southern League Midland/West Division to the Conference North in those 14 years...
, before entering the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
with Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
in the 1946–47 season, then playing in the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
. He remained with the "Saddlers" for three years, scoring 13 goals in 61 league games.
In June 1949 he joined Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, but left after the 1949–50 season to sign with Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
of the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. He played 21 league games for the Potters, mostly during the 1950–51 season.
In September 1951, he joined Stoke's rivals
Potteries derby
The Potteries derby is the football local derby in Stoke-on-Trent between Port Vale and Stoke City. The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches, especially with the rise of football hooliganism and the 'Naughty Forty'...
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, along with £10,000 for Alan Martin. He was the club's leading scorer of the 1951–52 campaign
1951–52 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1951–52 season was Port Vale's fortieth season of football in the Football League, and their seventh full season in the Third Division South. Manager Ivor Powell did not last long, and was replaced by Freddie Steele in December. Steele would later prove to be one of the club's greatest and...
with 13 goals. He was an ever-present during the 1953–54
1953–54 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1953–54 season was Port Vale's forty-second season of football in the Football League, and their second season back in the Third Division North. Quite possibly the greatest season in the club's history, Freddie Steele's side were crowned Third Division North champions with 69 points out of a...
campaign, where the club won the Football League Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
title and reached the semi-finals
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. However soon after he tore
Strain (injury)
A strain is an injury to a muscle or tendon in which the muscle fibres tear as a result of overstretching. A strain is also colloquially known as a pulled muscle...
a groin
Groin
In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two creases at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. This is also known as the medial compartment of the thigh. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a painful injury sustained by straining the hip adductor muscles...
muscle and was transferred to non-league Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
in the summer of 1956.
Death
Albert Mullard died from advanced cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1984. He was survived by his wife Mary Mullard. They had two daughters, Mary and Janet.
Honours
with Port Vale- Football League Third Division NorthFootball League Third Division NorthThe Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
winner: 1953–541953–54 Port Vale F.C. seasonThe 1953–54 season was Port Vale's forty-second season of football in the Football League, and their second season back in the Third Division North. Quite possibly the greatest season in the club's history, Freddie Steele's side were crowned Third Division North champions with 69 points out of a... - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finalistFA Cup Semi-finalsThe FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
: 1954