Fred Leamon

Who was Fred Leamon?

Frederick William 'Fred' Leamon was a professional footballer, who played in The Football League for Newport County, Bristol Rovers and Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as an international bowls player.

Leamon was a Royal Marines commando and also played for non-League side Bath City before taking up football professionally. He joined Newport County in February 1946, and scored a remarkable 23 goals in 16 unofficial wartime matches for them. On the resumption of League football in the summer of 1946 he played just four games for Newport, scoring three times, before moving to Bristol Rovers. He scored 21 goals in 43 League games during a three-year spell with The Pirates, and also scored four times in eleven games for Brighton & Hove Albion during the 1949–50 season. He then spent a year with non-League Chippenham Town before finally hanging up his boots in 1951.

As well as playing football, Leamon was an accomplished bowls player, representing Wales over twenty times in international competitions, despite being born in Jersey.