Stan Morgan made two appearances for Arsenal’s first team but he was one of a group of footballers whose career was interrupted by the Second World War.
In 1939, at the outbreak of the conflict, Arsenal’s juniors were encouraged to join the forces. Morgan joined the 11th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, whose headquarters were based at the Tower of London.
In February 1942, Morgan took part in the raid on Bruneval in France as one of the 30 soldiers from the No 12 commando. He, together with his fellow troops, manned guns on the landing craft which retrieved a force of parachutists under the command of a Major Frost.
This successful raid gave the parachute regiment its first battle honours, and the capture of the German radar technology ultimately had a significant effect on the war effort.
Within days of the raid, Morgan played as a guest for Brighton against Millwall in London. Unusually, news articles and pictures in the national press identified him as a "Bruneval raider" and an "Arsenal commando" - quite possibly as positive publicity during the darkest days of the war.
Copies of these articles and photos can be found on the Paradata website under the profile Sgt. Alfred Stanley Morgan. He joined the parachute regiment in 1943, serving in Italy, France, Greece and Palestine.
After the war, Morgan returned to Arsenal and was in the squad which won the First Division title in 1948.
However, this would be Morgan’s last season at Highbury and he continued his playing career with Walsall, Millwall, Leyton Orient and Tunbridge Wells. He retired from football in 1957 and worked as a representative for Kenwood before his death in London in 1971.
Text and picture provided by Neil Morgan.
Stan Morgan
