Recent articles in this series
Details of our opening articles which start with the memorial day at Chapman’s grave can be found at the foot of the article
By Tony Attwood
In my last article, [the 1939/40 war season](https://blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/27797) I dealt with the first war season as it was a hybrid season – the club (along with the rest of the league of course) starting the campaign in the first division in the normal way, but then of course, following government orders to shut down the league for the duration.
Thus, rather obviously, the war years are not counted in Arsenal’s 100 years in the top division. The 100 years come from the period 1904/5 to 1914/15 (that final season being played in full despite the outbreak of the First World War), 1919/20 to 1938/39 all of which were played normally, and then with 1939/40 not being counted as only three games in the league were completed before war was declared. Highbury was taken over by the military, and Arsenal as before, moved in with Tottenham Hotspur.
Thereafter, Arsenal, along with other professional teams, played in a series of wartime leagues, which are not counted in the official totals, since under wartime rules, clubs could use players from other clubs. This allowed players posted to a different part of the country to turn out for the team local to his posting, without breaking any rules.
So for the purposes of this series of articles, 1939 on to 1946 are not counted and we now skip forward in our recounting of Arsenal’s 100 years in the top division, to 1946/7. But first there must be an extra word about 1945/6. By what would in normal times have been the start of the 1945/6 season (ie August 1945) not only did the administrators not have time to set up the new season, but the clubs also did not have time to get themselves sorted out. Some grounds had been damaged by air raids, some had been repurposed by the military and not yet handed back (Highbury being one of these), many had pitches that were not fit to play on, and of course, tragically, many clubs did not have their full complement of players. Many had passed the age at which they could play, others had lost their level of fitness needed for professional football, and tragically, many more had suffered injuries, while many more had passed away in the service of their country.
However, the 1945/6 FA Cup did take place with matches played on a home and away basis. Arsenal were knocked out in the third round in January 1946, losing away to West Ham 6-0 in the first leg and beating them 1-0 in the return game.
And so now to resume our counting of 100 years in the top division, we move on to 1946/7, not just the start of the current era, but one in which clubs spent much of the season desperately trying to find and then sign players (there being no concept of summer and winter transfer windows at the time).
George Allison had kept the club alive during the war years virtually single-handed and in his autobiography reported himself to be exhausted which was most likely an understatement. But even given that situatiion, his judgement was not impaired as he rebuilt the Arsenal team by signing Joe Mercer and Robbie Rooke
However, Ted Drake, Alf Kirchen, Eddie Hapgood, Cliff Bastin and Jack Crayston had all either announced their retirement before the league resumed, or did so soon after attempting to get themselves back to full fitness
Of course, how many players from pre-war years each team had was a lottery, as was the transfer market, but one way or another, Arsenal recovered their strength, and improved it through the arrival of Mercer and Rooke.
On 30 November 1946 the league had a most curious and uncommon look about it
1
Liverpool
17
10
4
3
40
22
24
2
Wolverhampton Wanderers
18
11
2
5
41
23
24
**21**
**Arsenal**
**17**
**4**
**3**
**10**
**27**
**40**
**11**
22
Huddersfield Town
17
5
1
11
22
40
11
The two giants of the Chapman era, were each in the relegation places! And for Arsenal, it was worse as they went out of the FA Cup in the third round to Chelsea, after two replays.
By all reports, Allison was utterly exhausted and didn’t want to manage the team for that season, but he was persuaded to do so, although such information as we have suggests he made it very clear to the club that he did so reluctantly and there was no way he would continue for more than this first post-war campaign.
Arsenal did recover somewhat during that 1946/7 season, and crept up to 13th – their lowest position since 1924/5 – the final Knighton season in which the club missed relegation to the second division by one place. Allison did finally get the retirement he sought, and was praised for his selfless work in keeping the club alive during the war years – seemingly often working entirely on his own out of a small room in the Tottenham stadium.
Allison died in 1957 after several years of illness, and must always be remembered as a man who selflessly gave his heart and soul to the club after the sudden demise of Herbert Chapman. Indeed really, the club should be celebrating not just Chapman as it quite rightly does, but the three great managers of the pre- and post-war period: Chapman, Allison, and Whittaker, who we shall come to next.
But to conclude this final season of Allison’s reign, the season itself was unusual in that it continued to be played into June (Arsenal’s final game being on the 7th of that month) and Arsenal survived, as is often noted, not least because of two extraordinary signings in Joe Mercer and Ronnie Rooke. And if that sounds like a spot of luck, it should be remembered that Drake, Kirchen, Crayston and Hapgood had already gone before the season began, while although Bastin and Joy were persuaded to help the club out by keeping going, neither was able to make it through the season.
But Arsenal did recover and ended the season in 13th, an extraordinary achievement both for Allison and for the club. And Alison’s agrement to stay on meant that they now had in place the man who they wanted in charge for the following season – the other man who had been so central to Arsenal’s success: Tom Whittaker.
In the war Whittaker worked as an Air Raid warden before becoming a pilot in the Royal Air Force, achieving the rank of squadron leader. For his services to his country he was awarded the MBE. With the war ended Whittaker resumed his role as trainer at Arsenal and after Allison’s retirement in 1947, Whittaker became the club’s new manager, following the footsteps of Chapman and Allison.
Articles from the start of this series
**The celebration of Chapman’s legacy, held at the church where he is buried**
Further articles can be found through the link at the top of each article onto the next piece on this site.