This Is Your Life: Willie Hall

G W Willie HALL (1912-1967)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - George William 'Willie' Hall, former footballer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the stage door of the BBC Television Theatre, having been led to believe he was there to see some film in which he appears. He was brought to the theatre by sports editor Paul Fox, having been to another studio to discuss a proposed programme.

Willie, who was born in Newark, Nottinghamshire, signed for Notts County FC in 1931 before joining Tottenham Hotspur FC the following year. He made his international debut for England in December 1933 and, in total, appeared in ten international games for England, including the 1938 match against Northern Ireland when Willie scored all five of England's goals, including the fastest hat-trick ever recorded in an international game.

During the Second World War, Willie was a member of the London Police Reserve, after which ill health ended his playing career. In 1945 he had to have his right leg amputated. The following year thrombosis meant his left leg had to be removed. Despite this, he continued his association with the sport as a Vice-president of the Spurs Supporters Club and in coaching roles at various clubs, and in 1954 he became a publican in London's East End.

programme details...

Edition No: 86
Subject No: 86
Broadcast live: Mon 16 Feb 1959
Broadcast time: 7.30-8.00pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 4
Edition: 21

on the guest list...

Mr T L Jenkins
Mrs Jenkins
Charles Abrew
Peter Spall
Peter Joynes
Bob Spall - via telephone
Stanley Matthews
Ernest Newark
Bette - wife
Len Snelling
Fred Paskell
Vic Buckingham
Pauline Jenkins

production team...

Researchers: Ken Smith, Liam Nolan
Writers: Ken Smith, Liam Nolan
Director: Vere Lorrimer
Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

with thanks to Mick Gill for his contribution to this page

related pages...

Match of the Day

tackling football's top names

Stanley Matthews

Willie Hall This Is Your Life Big Red Book

Photographs of Willie Hall This Is Your Life - and a photograph of Willie Hall's big red book

Nottingham Evening Post 10 February 2012

Football bygones: Willie Hall - Newark's forgotten hero and England record holder

By Ray Yeomans

Newark-born England striker Willie Hall holds a unique place in the record books. Ray Yeomans looks back at his career.

NEWARK-born Willie Hall was a national hero - but hardly anyone remembers the talented inside forward these days.

Hall was not a noted goalscorer. Yet he earned his place in the history of the game after scoring a record five goals in a row in a 30-minute spell, either side of half-time, for England against Northern Ireland at Old Trafford on November 16, 1938.

Hall, who formed a lethal partnership with Sir Stanley Matthews, struck three times in only three-and-a-half-minutes. It was the fastest hat-trick in international football.

George William Hall was born in Newark in March 1912 and was educated at Lover's Lane School in Newark. A schoolboy international, he was a member of the Ransome and Marles side which won the Notts Alliance title in 1929-30. His brothers, Cyril and Harry, were also footballers.

Hall signed for Notts County in 1930, at the age of 18.

But Spurs snapped him up two years later (after 35 appearances and eight goals) for a fee of £2,600, plus another £500 if he won an England cap.

Rejected for Army service on health grounds, he served with the London Police Reserve instead.

Hall turned out for Spurs during the Second World War and went on to captain the side.

He made his international debut in a 4-1 win against France in December 1933 and was capped ten times.

He played against the Rest of Europe and also played in three wartime internationals against Wales.

An ankle injury ended his career in 1944 and he took over as manager at Clapton Orient.

At the time he was the youngest manager in the Football League. He also had spells at Chelmsford City and Chingford Town.

Hall later suffered from ill health. He had a thrombosis and had both legs amputated after a series of failed operations. Testimonial games were held for him in London and Nottingham in 1946.

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Walker put out a Combined XI against an FA XI on September 18.

The Combined XI featured three Forest players - Billy Baxter, Bob McCall and Tom Johnston - along with Leon Leuty, who was a member of Derby County's 1946 FA Cup-winning team.

Leuty cost Notts County a record £20,000 when they signed him from Bradford in 1950.

An engineer at Rolls-Royce, he captained the side until his untimely death, from leukaemia, at the age of 35.

Johnston and Baxter also went on to play for Notts County. Johnston scored 92 goals in 286 games, while Baxter made 153 appearances before joining Grantham Town in 1954.

When he retired in 1952, McCall was appointed groundsman at the City Ground and also coached the A team.

The FA XI featured some of the greats in the game - Frank Swift, Billy Wright, Len Shackleton, Stan Cullis, Tom Finney and Raich Carter.

Albert Stubbins opened the scoring in the 25th minute but the Combined side hit back in the second half with two goals in five minutes from Shackleton and Edwards. Wilf Mannion got a deserved equaliser four minutes from time.

Combined XI: Middleton (Chesterfield), McCall (Nottingham Forest), Cater (West Ham), Baxter (Nottingham Forest), Leuty (Derby County), Blenkinsop (Grimsby), Hancocks (Wolves), Shackleton (Bradford), Edwards (Aston Villa), Rowley (Manchester United), Johnston (Nottingham Forest).

FA XI: Swift (Manchester City), Scott (Arsenal), Hardwick (Middlesbrough), Wright (Wolves) Cullis (Wolves), Forrest (Bolton), Finney (Preston), Mannion (Middlesbrough), Stubbins (Liverpool), Carter (Derby County), Mullen (Wolves).

Hall opened a sports shop with Spurs team-mate Vic Buckingham and in 1954, he became a publican.

His life story was featured on television by Eamonn Andrews on This is Your Life.

Hall died in 1967, aged 55, after suffering a heart attack at his sister's house in Newark, just days after watching his old side Spurs beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Series 4 subjects