A LOOK INTO HISTORY 195

A LOOK INTO HISTORY ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE

ETON MANOR SEASON 1946-47

Eton Manor, for so long, a respected member of the Essex Senior League recommenced
operations immediately after the Second World War in season 1945/46 as members of
the London League Eastern Division and finished a 20 game season in 5 th place with
Woolwich Polytechnic winners. There was a Western Division that Edgware Town won
but in a decider for the overall championship, Woolwich Poly won 2-1.
It is to season 1946/47 that our story unfurls and a very flimsy and poor condition fold
over blue Match Programme for a London League match between Eton Manor ( Light
and Dark Blue Hoops) and Dartford, which is how the opposition were announced but,
in fact, they were the Reserves of the Southern League side. The game, on Saturday
April 19 th 1947 with kick off at 3.30pm was at their original ground, Temple Mills in
Stratford E15 and this venue would eventually be bulldozed and rise as the Hockey
Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games and naturally called “ The Eton Manor”. At a price
of 1d the centre two pages showed full lineups of both clubs and on the reverse page,
Club Notes that reminisced on a 1-0 win earlier at Dartford and that their London Road
ground would be holding the London League Cup Final on May 17 th , Eton Manor v Crittall
Athletic ( now Braintree Town) or Guildford City Reserves, the latter winning it. On the
date of the game Chelmsford City Reserves were leading from Eton Manor, Dartford
Reserves were in 10 th place and Woodford Town 11 th . An interesting club in 6 th place was
Southend based Ekco Sports, the works team of the Radio factory that is now the
brand new built Fairhavens Hospice.
With each club still with 5 games to play, Chelmsford City Reserves held on for the title,
with Tilbury second and Eton Manor third. Woodford Town took 8 th place. Dartford
Reserves were 12 th and London Telecoms last. The standard of the League was
probably shown by their 3-5 Representative result against the Isthmian League in
December 1946.
Just to show the respect Eton Manor had for fans they even issued the same type of
Match Programme for 2 nd X1 games, for instance, on September 14 th they welcomed
Cheshunt to Temple Mills for the first time saying that the club were newcomers to the
London League. On 21 st September they would visit Southend On Sea for a Preliminary
Round F A Cup match with Ekco Sports which they would lose 0-2.
In season 1948-49 the style of Programme was exactly the same and for 1d on March
26 th 1949 the First team met Royal Naval Depot and gave a warm welcome to friends
from Chatham.
Although Temple Mills was their home ground, Eton Manor’s headquarters were the
Eton Manor Club, Riseholme Street in Hackney Wick E9. Finally, the main advert was for
Clarnico Sweets, a company synonymous with Hackney Wick and acquired by Trebor in
1969 who closed down its factories in 1973. Trebor was then acquired by Cadburys in
1989. The Mint Cream continued until 2019.