Billy James (Welsh footballer)

William John James (18 October 1921 – 27 July 1980) was a Welsh professional footballer. During his career, he represented Wales at amateur level during wartime competitions and played six times in the Football League for Cardiff City before being forced to retire due to the physical effects of his time spent as a prisoner of war during the Second World War.[1]

Billy James
Personal information
Full name William John James
Date of birth (1921-10-18)18 October 1921
Place of birth Cardiff, Wales
Date of death 27 July 1980(1980-07-27) (aged 58)
Place of death Cardiff, Wales
Playing position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946–1947 Cardiff City 6 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in Cardiff, James was raised in the Splott area of the city, living in Carlisle Street.[2] He joined his hometown club Cardiff City in 1939 at the start of the Second World War.[3] A prolific scorer for the club during wartime fixtures, he was regarded as an exciting prospect in Welsh football and was chosen to represent Wales in two wartime fixtures against England, scoring in the first match where he played against Stan Cullis.[2][4] At the age of 18, James enlisted in the army, joining the 77th HAA Regiment, Royal Artillery.[2] The unit contained a number of footballers including other Cardiff City players Ernie Curtis and Billy Baker and embarked on a journey to North Africa by ship for deployment. However, en route, Japanese forces launched attacks on Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaya leading the UK to declare war against Japan which saw James and his unit rerouted to the Dutch colony of Java in the Dutch East Indies where British forces suffered heavy losses and James was one of numerous British troops taken prisoner.[2][3]

He spent three years in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp before returning to Britain at the end of the war.[2] He resumed playing for Cardiff City in the 1946–47 season, scoring in his first two matches in the Football League, a 2–1 defeat to Notts County and a 2–0 victory over Bournemouth.[5] However, his time in the POW camp had seen James suffer from severe malnutrition and the effects had resulted in irreparable damage to his eyesight and he was forced into retirement at the end of the season.[2][3][6][7] The club held a benefit game for James in May 1950 and he later returned to work for the club as a scout.[3]

Career statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Cardiff City 1946–47[5] Third Division South 6300001[nb 1]174
Total 6300001174
  1. Appearance in the Welsh Cup.
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References
  1. "Billy James". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  2. Rippon, Anton (2011). Gas Masks for Goal Posts:Football in Britain During the Second World War. The History Press.
  3. Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. pp. 97–98. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
  4. "Wartime internationals". Welsh Football Data Archive. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  5. Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive: Cardiff City F.C. SoccerData Publications. ISBN 1-899468-17-X.
  6. Shepherd, Richard (20 March 2013). "1947–1964 Post-War Recovery". Cardiff City F.C. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  7. "2013 poppy appeal pride". Cardiff City F.C. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
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