Letting the plane take the strain as fans headed to Wembley

THESE were the swanky ones – going to Wembley by plane while thousands of other Scottish fans were heading south on special trains and buses, many of them travelling overnight.

It was April, 1953, and these fans work for RollsRoyce. It was common then for workers in factories and offices to travel together to Wembley for the England v Scotland game rather than just friends organising trips.

The Evening Times estimated that 30,000 fans travelled from Scotland. As it reported on the day before the game: “Londoners began to ‘take cover’ today as the first of the tartan tammies arrived in the city. ‘We’re only the scouts’ shouted one unshaven lad with a tammy as big as a dustbin lid. ‘Wait till ye see whit’s comin’ behind us’.”

Look too at the casual way the fans are posing at the door of the BEA plane, with a photographer allowed on to the airport apron – this was the old Renfrew Airport Nowadays such frivolity is frowned upon at our dour airports.

The game? It ended in a two-all draw. England were leading 2-1 when a Scotland player had to go off injured with 20 minutes to go. There were no substitutes in those days, and as Scotland had to play with only 10 men, England became cocky and tried to show off rather than score another goal.

They were punished by Hibernian’s Lawrie Reilly scoring the equaliser in injury time. As The Herald put it: “The Scots’ enthusiasm atoned for their slight inferiority in skill.”

Copies of our archive photographs can be purchased by emailing photoenquiries@heraldandtimes.co.uk or via our website www.thepicturedesk.co.uk