Don Howe

Who is Don Howe?

Donald "Don" Howe was an English association footballer of the 1930s, '40s and '50s for Bolton Wanderers, he made his league début against Liverpool in October 1936, as a child he attended Stanley St. Peter's School in Stanley, West Yorkshire.

Over the next few years he played in every position for Bolton Wanderers except centre-forward. In the 1938–39 season Howe scored nine goals.

At the outset of World War II, of the 35 players on the staff of Bolton Wanderers, 32 joined the armed services, a total of 17 players, including; Ernie Forrest, Albert Geldard, Harry Goslin, Stan Hanson, Don Howe, Jack Hurst, Billy Ithell, Jackie Roberts, Tommy Sinclair, Raymond Westwood, and Danny Winter, joined the 53rd Field Regiment.

Following the German invasion of France on 10 May 1940, the 53rd Field Regiment was sent to help the French but came under attack from the advancing Panzer divisions, and Don Howe was lucky to make it back to the French port of Dunkirk where he was rescued by a British ship.

The 53rd Field Regiment spent the rest of 1940 and the whole of 1941 at various army camps around Britain, they spent their time building coastal defence constructions, manning anti-aircraft batteries and patrolling potential enemy landing sites all along the East Anglia coastline, variously stationed at Beccles, Nacton, and Holt. This enabled them to play the occasional match for Bolton Wanderers in the North-East League. The team that year included; Jack Atkinson, Ernie Forrest, Stan Hanson, Don Howe, Harry Hubbick, George Hunt, Jack Hurst, Billy Ithell, Danny Winter, Albert Geldard, Jackie Roberts, Walter Sidebottom, Tommy Sinclair, and Raymond Westwood.