Goslin: Henry (Harry)

WW2 Guest: 1940-1941 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Wing Half

Born: Willington, Co. Durham: 09-11-1909

Debut: v Huddersfield Town (a): 05-10-1940

Height & Weight: Unknown

Goslin first played for Boots Athletic before being signed by First Division Bolton Wanderers in 1930 for £25. He made his debut on 10th September 1930 in a 2-7 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield but despite the score he kept his place for the rest of the season. He was not a regular in the following season but played more than half the games as Bolton succumbed after several seasons of fighting relegation and dropped into the Second Division in 1932-33. They were third in the following season and then 1934-35 they were promoted as runners-up to Brentford with Goslin an ever-present. He missed only eight games in five seasons as Bolton started to consolidate their First Division status with top ten finishes. When World War Two brought an end to the Football League fixtures he had scored twenty-three goals, eight of which were penalties in three hundred and three League appearances, plus three games in the aborted 1939-40 season and had also played in thirty-one F.A. Cup ties. On 8th April 1939 before the home game with Sunderland, as Captain of Bolton Wanderers, Goslin addressed the crowd and said “We are facing a national emergency. But this danger can be met, if everybody keeps a cool head, and knows what to do. This is something you can't leave to the other fellow, everybody has a share to do.” Of the thirty-five players on the staff of Bolton Wanderers, thirty-two joined the armed services and the other three went into the coal mines and munitions. Harry Hubbick resumed his career in the mines and Jack Atkinson and George Hunt served in the local Police force. Seventeen players including Harry Goslin, Stan Hanson, Ray Westwood, Danny Winter, Albert Geldard, Billy Ithell, Tommy Sinclair, Don Howe, Ernie Forrest, Jackie Roberts and Jack Hurst joined the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment. At first the men continued to play for their club and Goslin played for Wanderers in four of the games in the 1939-40 North-East Regional League. He also guested with Bradford City, Chelsea, Norwich City and Leeds United. He was also chosen to represent England in four War-time Internationals. The first being against Scotland at St James’ Park Newcastle on 2nd December 1939 at Right Half, in which he captained England to a 2-1 victory. On 12th May 1940 Germany invaded France and the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment was sent to help the French and came under fire from advancing Panzer Divisions. Harry Goslin was credited with destroying four enemy tanks and he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Goslin, Howe, Hanson, Hurst, Forrest and Westwood were lucky enough to make it back to Dunkirk where they were rescued by British ships. The 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment spent the rest of 1940 and most of 1941 at various camps around Britain. This enabled them to play the occasional game for Bolton Wanderers in the North-East League. It was in this period that he played his three games as a guest for Leeds United. All his games were at Right Half in the 1940-41 North Regional League. His first was on 5th October 1940 in a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town, followed on 4th January 1941 by the first of two successive games with Chesterfield, at Saltergate in a 4-2 win and the following week in a 2-3 loss at Elland Road. He had also played one Wartime game in 1939-40, three in 1940-41 and six games in 1941-42 season for his own club, Bolton Wanderers. He also played once for Bradford City in 1940-41, once for Chelsea in 1941-42 and six times for Norwich City in the same season. On 3rd May 1941, Goslin was selected to play for England at Right Half against Scotland at Hampden Park in a 3-1 English victory. He also played at Right Half against Scotland at Wembley in a 2-0 win on 4th October 1941 and again at Right Half in a 2-1 win over Wales at St Andrews’ Birmingham on 25th October 1941. On 15th July 1942, the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment was mobilised for overseas service. The following month they arrived in Egypt and immediately became involved in defending Alam el Halfa. On 30th August 1942, General Erwin Rommel attacked Alam el Halfa but was repulsed by the Eighth Army. General Montgomery responded to this attack by ordering his troops to reinforce the defensive line from the coast to the impassable Qattara Depression. Montgomery was now able to make sure that Rommel and the German Army was unable to make any further advances into Egypt. On 22nd October 1942, the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment took up battle positions. The following day General Montgomery launched Operation Lightfoot with the largest artillery bombardment since the First World War. The attack came at the worst time for the German Afrika Corps as Rommel was on sick leave in Austria. His replacement, General George Stumme, died of a heart-attack the day after the nine hundred gun bombardment of the German lines. Stumme was replaced by General Ritta Von Thoma and Hitler phoned Rommel to order him to return to Egypt immediately. The Germans defended their positions well and after two days the Eighth Army had made little progress and Montgomery ordered an end to the attack. When Rommel returned, he launched a counterattack at Kidney Depression on 27th October 1942. Montgomery now returned to the offensive and the 9th Australian Division created a salient in the enemy positions. Churchill was disappointed by the Eighth Army's lack of success and accused Montgomery of fighting a "half-hearted" battle. Montgomery ignored these criticisms and instead made plansfor a new offensive, Operation Supercharge. On 1st November 1942, Montgomery launched an attack on the German Afrika Corps at Kidney Ridge. After initially resisting the attack, Rommel decided he no longer had the resources to hold his line and, on the 3rd November 1942, he ordered his troops to withdraw. However, Hitler overruled his commander and the Germans were forced to stand and fight. The next day Montgomery ordered his men forward. Lieutenant Harry Goslin and the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment joined the pursuit. The Eighth Army broke through the German lines and Rommel, in danger of being surrounded, was forced to retreat. Those soldiers on foot, including large numbers of Italian soldiers, were unable tomove fast enough and were taken prisoner. The British Army recaptured Tobruk on 12th November 1942. During the El Alamein campaign half of Rommel's one hundred thousand man armywas killed, wounded or taken prisoner. He also lost over four hundred and fifty tanks and one thousand guns. The British and Commonwealth forces suffered thirteen thousand five hundred casualties and five hundred of their tanks were damaged. However, of these, three hundred and fifty were repaired and were able to take part in future battles. After spending time in Baghdad, the 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment moved to Kirkurk on 8th January 1943. Theywere eventually relocated to Kifri which was to become their main base for the next five months. While there Harry Goslin, Stan Hanson, Don Howe and Ernie Forrest played for the British Army against the Polish Army in Baghdad. Howe scored one of the goals in the 4-2 victory. The 53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment joined General Montgomery and the Eighth Army in the invasion of Italy. On 24th September 1943, Goslin and his men landed at Taranto. Three days later the men had reached Foggia without too much opposition. However, when the men were ordered to cross the River Sangro the regiment took part in some of the most difficult fighting of the Second World War. At the end of November Don Howe was wounded and evacuated to a dressing station. After another enemy air attack Ray Westwood and Stan Hanson came close to being killed. The shelling continued and on 14th December 1943, Harry Goslin was hit in the back by shrapnel and seriously wounded from a mortar explosion. He died from his wounds four days later, on 18th December 1943. The Bolton Evening News reported: "Harry Goslin was one of the finest types professional football breeds. Not only in the personal sense, but for the club's sake, and the game's sake. I regret his life has had to be sacrificed in the cause of war." He was awarded the Military Cross.