Felixstowe and Walton FC

Being an Ipswich boy whose family mostly comes from Felixstowe, I've avoided doing a #GetTheBadgeIn for the Seasiders, mostly because I've wanted to do them justice and not rush it, as there is a huge history and heritage behind both towns.

Another reason has been that the current badge is actually quite a tricky one as a launch pad. It clearly symbolises the coming together of the two teams into one... and little else.

So, a while back I did create a sort of tongue-in-cheek, AI-powered alternative badge concept, as there was so much history to draw on. This sleepy little coastal town (which can nonetheless boast the best Wimpy and best independent bookshop in the country) has a history that will blow your mind.

From memory there was... Roman settlements, St Felix bringing Christianity, Walton Castle, the Orwell as a regrouping area for the English fleet during the Spanish Armada, Landguard Fort fighting off the Dutch in what was the last foreign landing on our shores, turning into a prosperous Victorian holiday destination, the development of seaplanes, and then the establishment of the modern cargo container terminals, turning it into Britain's biggest container port and, essentially, a logistical node that feeds and clothes most of the country.

And I'm sure there is plenty more too. Oh - the German Kaiser stayed there once, and the Suffragettes blew up a holiday house overlooking the shore which belonged to a politician... Anything else? I'm sure there is.

So, as you can see, there is a whole lot of heritage on which one could draw when designing a kit. A simple handshake emoji always seemed a little underwhelming.

A future logo design that a) could honour some of this and b) show those heritage-massacring Maldon and Tiptree owners how a proper rebrand is done would be most welcome.

But.

For the time being, then, let's work with what we have in the current badge and dive a little deeper into a patch of land in the south-east corner of Suffolk with an extraordinary history.

Let's #GetTheBadgeIn for Felixstowe and Walton FC...

Currently fighting it out in the Isthmian League North Division (in effect, Division 8 of the English pyramid), they are, in their modern form, a new club, having been formed in 2000 when the two teams, Felixstowe Town and Port and Walton United, merged.

Felixstowe Town and Port date back to 1890, and Walton can trace their roots back to 1895. Interestingly, they actually merged together once before, in 1947, to become Felixstowe United. This was quite common up and down the country after both World Wars. Simply put, when the men returned from war, there were a good number missing or too badly injured to carry on playing, so many a team consolidated by merging with a neighbour.

Felixsowe and Walton FC

However, in this case the union was not to last too long. Walton re-emerged as a separate club in 1950, and United reverted back to its old Felixstowe name in 1996 before their most recent coming together again in 2000.

So that's the history of the club – but what of the remarkable history of the region that is tied up in their name?

Well, I alluded to it before in a very long list... do I go through each one?

...I'll try. Quickly.

Roman settlements: Archaeology shows several things about the Roman past of Felixstowe. Firstly, Walton Castle (more on which later) has Roman stones at its core, indicating that the Romans were the first to begin its construction. Secondly, Roman artefacts, including numerous coins, have been found scattered around the Shotley Peninsula. And there are Roman ruins under the waves, with what looks like a substantial settlement having once existed on a spit of land jutting out from either Shotley or Harwich - which no longer exists.

The next major chapter in the region's history revolves around one man: Felix of Burgundy, better known as Felix of Dunwich. He became the first Bishop of the East Angles and is generally credited with bringing Christianity to the kingdom.

Around AD 630, Felix travelled from Burgundy to Canterbury before Archbishop Honorius sent him to the court of King Sigeberht. Local tradition says he came ashore at Babingley in Norfolk before making his way into East Anglia. Sigeberht granted him a bishop's seat at Dommoc – although historians are still arguing where that actually was. The two leading contenders are Walton itself or further up the coast at Dunwich. I think Felixstowe and Walton need to lay claim to him before someone else does…

Bede also records that Felix helped establish a school where "boys could be taught letters". That might not sound particularly exciting, but in seventh-century East Anglia it was a huge step forward. Reading and writing were rare skills, books were precious objects, and schools barely existed. The arrival of Christianity helped change all of that.

Next up, Walton Castle itself. It was a Roman ‘Saxon Shore Fort’. Essentially a line of forts built up and down the South and East coast by the Romans to keep the Saxons out. As the Romans suffered problems in mainland Europe those rough and tumble German raiders spied an opportunity and began landing in England and troubling the locals. The Romans responded with a line of forts – Walton was one of them.

Later, when the Romans left, it was taken over by the Saxons (the irony), and then later by the Normans, who strengthened and expanded it quite significantly. All in all, it wasn't a very successful fort. Twice it was built up to keep out an invader. And twice it failed.

Alas, the true enemy of the fort was the sea, and by 1760 it had tumbled into the waves. Supposedly, elements of it can still be seen poking out of the water at low tide, although, growing up in the area, nobody has ever mentioned this to me, nor have I seen it with my own eyes. Althoug this picture I found online looks awesome:

Next on my list was the use of the Orwell as a regrouping area for the English fleet after the Spanish Armada. It was. However, by this point, most of the fighting had already been done.

For those who do not know the story, the Spanish fleet sailed up through the English Channel on its way to Calais. The English fleet engaged it and was able to cause some light damage by using its longer-range cannons, which meant the English could attack and then break off before the Spanish heavy guns could respond.

However, the fleet made it to Calais more or less intact and was due to embark the Spanish army waiting there before sailing across to invade England. Legend has it that Queen Elizabeth herself donned armour and was ready to lead the English into battle to oppose the amphibious landing. Thankfully, Lizzie didn't need to smudge her make-up, as the English Navy sneakily sailed 'fire ships' (basically floating bombs – a precursor to Ukraine's sea drones) into the harbour and forced the Spanish fleet to scatter in a hurried panic. The English fleet, sitting just offshore, could then pick off the Spanish ships one at a time, catching them under-crewed and unprepared for a fight. This they did quite effectively, chasing the Spaniards north before breaking off the pursuit to rest up at Felixstowe. Mother Nature did the rest, and a huge storm wrecked what was left of the Spanish fleet...

Fast forward 80 years or so, and Felixstowe was once again witness to military antics – this time more directly aimed at its own shores. In 1667, the Dutch landed forces at Felixstowe. They had recently humiliated the English at the Medway, sinking many ships, destroying shore facilities and towing away the flagship. The Dutch felt that, having taken control of the Thames Estuary, the next step was to secure the Orwell. And so it was that an invasion force landed at Felixstowe while Dutch ships struck out to destroy the shipyards at Harwich.

However, the Suffolk boys were more than the Dutch had bargained for. A party of Royal

Marines based at Landguard Fort was able to repel the invaders, killing and capturing around 150 of them for the loss of only 10 defenders – and a musket ball in the shoulder for the governor of the fort, a Mr Nathaniel Darrell. The Dutch withdrew and their plans to invade were shelved. No invader has ever set foot on English soil since.

Never mess with the 'Stowe.

Fast forward a couple of centuries and we have the Victorian era – and for this I am going to shamelessly quote the official website of Felixstowe:

"The traditional Victorian seafront developed a lovely promenade backed by lavish and well-tended subtropical gardens that edged a long and sandy beach, with Edwardian hotels and B&Bs and the pleasant town perched on the cliff above. Completed in 1905, Felixstowe's pier was once one of the longest in the country, with its own electric tramway running to the end, and was the stopping point for the 'Belle' paddle steamers which operated between London and Great Yarmouth."

The pier itself, unfortunately, was actually half-demolished during the Second World War to stop any Nazis landing and using it to swarm jackbooted troops into the town. So, where you see it today, imagine it a lot longer and with its own train service, like the one in Southend. There is also, if you walk the promenade today, a sign explaining that the German Kaiser and his family stayed in Felixstowe to enjoy its famous spa waters and pretty gardens.

One image I remember seeing a lot as a kid, and being impressed by (and slightly jealous of), were the old photos showing Edwardian beachgoers being able to rent a beach hut on wheels that would be towed into the water by a horse. You'd have your own floating island to base yourself on while you enjoyed the sea. If ever there was a call to MAKE BRITAIN GREAT AGAIN, surely the reintroduction of such things would be ideal (maybe minus the horse – I don't fancy swimming in horse shit).

Next up – seaplanes!

In 1913, the Royal Naval Air Station Felixstowe was established to house, develop and test seaplanes for the defence of the realm. They were, of course, a brand-new technology (the Wright brothers had only got airborne in 1903!). During the First World War they proved their worth, harassing and sinking German U-boats. The pictures from the time are incredible.

And last, but by no means least... the modern Port of Felixstowe.

Felixstowe's rise to become Britain's largest container port was no accident. During the 1950s and 1960s, as global trade began shifting from traditional cargo to standardised shipping containers, the port's owners spied an opportunity to get ahead of the game. The first purpose-built container terminal opened in 1967, just as containerisation was beginning to revolutionise world trade. Government helped too, paying for improvements to the A14 and supporting new rail links to the Midlands, allowing goods arriving in Suffolk to reach Britain's manufacturing centres quickly and efficiently. Decades of careful planning, continual dredging to accommodate ever-larger vessels, and private investment in deeper berths and modern cranes transformed what had once been a modest dock into a world-class logistics hub.2

Today, the Port of Felixstowe handles around 40% of the UK's containerised trade, with thousands of containers moving through its terminals every day. Its success rests on constant innovation. Automated container handling, digital tracking systems, giant ship-to-shore cranes and efficient rail freight operations have enabled the port to keep pace with the dramatic growth of global commerce.

So there we have it. Phew!

This is why I was putting off doing this write-up as a) it was going to be massive, and b) I didn't think I'd do it justice.

I almost certainly haven't done it justice. But... I've done something, and it's a start to be built upon, perhaps.

Incidentally, if you've made it this far and you have a passion for Felixstowe and/or deep pockets and/or know someone at Felixstowe Museum, I'd love to work with you to help realise my fantasy of creating an augmented reality presentation of all this history. Visitors could don a pair of glasses and look out over the Orwell while the stories above came alive. Romans arrive, Saxon forts are built, Christianity spreads, Dutch invaders are repelled, holidaymakers go for a swim and seaplanes take to the air – all in the space of about ten minutes...

I think it would be remarkable.

Felixstowe and Walton.

It has quite the past – and, if we play our cards right, an exciting future.