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George Dingwall remembered by daughter Pat who is a member at North Berwick.

Some of our members and volunteers are quite happy to work away quietly in the background, but when we heard about Pat Mackay at North Berwick and her family sporting connections, we just had to learn more.  

Pat Mackay is a stalwart at the North Berwick Sporting Memories group ensuring all catering requirements are met plus offering her previous forty years occupational therapy experiences and advice to all the members. Although often expressing not having a “great knowledge of sport,” when asked about her family’s sporting history it’s a rather interesting tale. With a great-grand father, father, brother and nephew all being professional footballers we persuaded Pat to tell us about her father, George Dingwall. 

George – the all round sportsman 

Although an exceptional student as a youth, George’s main interest was sport, being a key member of his school’s football and cricket teams, where he played alongside Bobby Combe who went on to star in the famous Hibernian team of the forties and fifties. Pictured here is the talented Edinburgh select schools team of around 1938 with a fresh faced George back row 2nd left and Bobby Combe in the front wearing his Scottish schoolboys cap. 

First call – St Bernard’s 

In 1941, as a young lad of only 16, George was invited to play with St Bernard’s Football Club, one of Edinburgh’s five senior professional clubs at the time. George was delighted, as the club were his childhood heroes and played at the Gymnasium Park at Canonmills which backed on to his parent’s house in Eyre Place. His senior football career however got off to a rather bizarre start. The Scottish Football leagues had been suspended for a year or two following the outbreak of war.  When he reported for his first game, none of the players knew each other. The manager read out the team and told players who had not been mentioned to go and sit in the Stand. The game kicked off and the opponents promptly swept up the park and scored. Confusion raged in the stand.....”where is the centre half?” After a quick head count it was discovered St Bernard’s only had ten players. The manager had forgotten young Dingwall’s name when reading out the team! 

Despite this initial set back he went on to play twenty-three games for St Bernard’s including the very last game in the club’s history on 16th May 1942 (against East Fife) as the club fell on financial hard times. This was a remarkable coincidence as George’s grandfather, George Heathcote had been a founder member and the club’s inaugural captain playing in St Bernard’s first ever game in 1878 and during the next nine seasons over 150 games for the team. 

Duty called but no spare boots 

With World War Two now well under way George applied to join the Royal Air Force and was recruited into the air ground crew. After initial training, his unit was transferred to an RAF base, which is now Gatwick International Airport, as they prepared for the Allied D-Day invasion of Europe. 

It was during this time that George was asked to play a trial for the mighty Arsenal. Unfortunately, the only spare boots available were several sizes too small and after a rather lack lustre and painful performance at White Hart Lane (Highbury was out of action during the war), he never heard from the Gunners again! (Bet Thierry Henry never had this problem.) 

Following an intriguing march through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany where George was appointed sporting liaison officer tasked with arranging football matches with the local communities and then a traumatic involvement in the liberation of Belsen concentration camp, George finally returned to his Edinburgh home to continue his sporting career. 

  

De-mobbed and straight back to sport 

Initially signed by top Junior side Newtongrange Star and reaching the semi final of the Scottish Junior Cup in 1949, he then moved to Scottish First Division club Airdrieonians from 1949 to 1952 playing alongside future Rangers and Scotland inside forward Ian McMillan before being signed by Bobby Ancell at Dunfermline Athletic. 

On retiring, George continued his keen interest in sports playing as a low handicap golfer at Dalmahoy, North Berwick and St Andrews with his great friend and former manager, Bobby Ancell who also created the brilliant “Ancell Babes” Motherwell team of the late 50’s/60’s that included Scottish international players Ian St John, Pat Quinn and Willie Hunter. 

 

The above images show George in a strong Airdrie side (back row 2nd right) and rising above Hearts legendary centre forward Willie Bauld at Tynecastle. 

For more on George Dingwall’s sporting and military experiences which are many and varied visit  https://share.google/qba5CR6HSysp2VU5g