Wealdstone FC

At first glance, this isn’t the most revealing of team badges, and I initially thought I might skip it. But I was wrong – this team has an incredible history.

Let’s start with the badge. To be fair, it doesn’t take a Dan Brown to decode the four segments. The blue and white checks represent their team colours. The three lions signify their base in England. The Middlesex three swords (note, they face the opposite direction to the Essex blades) represent their location in Middlesex. And the football… well, that’s pretty self-explanatory.

However, hear me out – the team’s history is fascinating.

The origins of Wealdstone FC (though arguably, this was a different team that first took the name, disbanded, and was later re-formed) lie with two teams from the same company. The gun manufacturer Cogswell & Harrison fielded two teams: a "blue collar" team of factory workers known as The Oaks, and a "white collar" team made up of clerks and office workers, who played under the company name. Both teams competed in the same local league, and it was no surprise that the factory workers’ team proved to be significantly better. They continued playing, and in 1888, they dropped "The Oaks" from their name and became Wealdstone FC. They competed against another local team, Watford Rovers, now known as Watford FC.

I love this tale of two teams, and it seems a shame there’s no hint of their origins – perhaps some crossed shotguns – on the crest to reflect this backstory. Cogswell & Harrison still exists today, claiming to be "London’s oldest surviving gunmaker." These days, they craft high-end hunting rifles and shotguns – exquisite pieces of craftsmanship (I say "exquisite" because they’re beautifully made, not because I’m a gun enthusiast). They focus on the luxury shooting and hunting market, producing shotguns you might see slung over the shoulder of a royal on a Scottish estate.

The company made its mark in the 1870s, manufacturing weapons for the French during the Franco-Prussian War (a conflict few in Britain know much about, though it involved over 2 million men and resulted in more than 180,000 deaths). It was almost certainly the men who made these weapons who formed the early football teams.

The company was also significant in both World Wars, producing arms for the British military. During the First World War, Wealdstone FC, like other amateur teams, was suspended, and ten of their players lost their lives in the Great War. A memorial stained-glass window now stands in the team’s clubhouse in their honour.

The wars further shaped the club. Wealdstone’s ground, Grosvenor Vale (which also hosts Watford’s women’s team), has a Grade II listed WWII anti-aircraft turret in the north-east corner. Built in 1940, it guarded an underground bunker constructed in 1936 to store bombs for nearby RAF airfields and bomber squadrons.

Many of Wealdstone’s early matches were in Middlesex leagues that included RAF and Army regiment teams.

More recently, and this is a unique claim to fame, Wealdstone was part of the first-ever televised game. In 1946, the BBC recorded and later broadcast footage of a local derby between Wealdstone and Barnet (a rivalry given extra spice today, as Barnet's current manager, Dean Brennan, left Wealdstone for Barnet in 2021).

As if the tale of weapons manufacturers and anti-aircraft turrets wasn’t rugged enough, Wealdstone’s two most famous former players are Stuart Pearce and Vinnie Jones – two men well-known for making their presence felt on the pitch.

Wealdstone boasts a gritty and noble history tied to Britain’s industrial past. Love it.