John Fry had a day to remember as 84-year-old was made Luton mascot… but it wasn’t explosive as his first game
Diehard fan celebrated his birthday by leading out his beloved Hatters and recalls how a visit to watch them at White Hart Lane as a child was interrupted by a WWII bomber
JOHN FRY raised eyebrows when he appeared as one of Luton’s match-day mascots on his 84th birthday.
But that was nothing compared to the sheer terror of the first match he ever attended.
As an 11-year-old, John, now a diehard Hatters fan, was taken by his dad to a wartime league match at Tottenham in 1944.
And the White Hart Lane crowd saw much more than they expected — or wanted.
A V1 flying bomb passed overhead before plunging to the ground and exploding at nearby Manor House.
John said: “It was a Wednesday afternoon and Tottenham were playing West Ham. The air-raid siren sounded during the first half and nobody took any notice. The teams carried on playing.
“The Doodlebug came across and I can see it now. It was flying away from the ground, passing the cockerel on the stand. When the engine cut out, the referee blew his whistle and all the players dropped flat on the ground. I was sitting in the front row of the stand with my dad and we could do nothing.
“The thing fell on Manor House with a huge bang, and a massive plume of smoke went up. Then the ref blew his whistle and they carried on playing.
“There aren’t many people left who can tell a story like that.”
No, and there are not many who appear on the pitch in their club’s kit at the age of 84.
John, a retired chartered accountant, began his love affair with Luton when he moved to the town in 1959, the week before the club lost 2-1 to Forest in the FA Cup Final.
His youngest son, Matt, 49, arranged his appearance as a mascot last May alongside four children.
John said: “People asked me what I was doing being a mascot at my age. I said you don’t count the age, it brings you back to your younger days.”
Luton are next in action away to Mansfield tomorrow.
There might be a few flashpoints — but nothing as explosive as that day back in 1944!