1) Joe Dines (pictured seated left with GB gold medal-winning team, Stockholm 1936)
First and most prominent, Ilford captain, schoolboy hero and gold medallist at the Stockholm 1912 Olympiad, Joe Dines… Joe was an Ilford schoolteacher and quiet family man in the run up to the Games. However, so brilliant was his form in the group matches and especially the Final versus Denmark, that he was signed on professional terms by Liverpool soon after, making a debut against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a 1-0 victory. He also played briefly for the 1st teams of QPR and Millwall. Joe went on to earn 27 caps for his country, often alongside Vivien Westwood (perhaps the most acclaimed footballer of his day). Joe returned to captain Ilford just before the Great War intervened. Tragically he lost his life in the carnage of the Western Front, in one of the very last conflicts of the War. His sacrifice is remembered at several memorials including those of Liverpool FC and of the other clubs for whom he played. Ilford FC’s most famous son left a young widow at their home in Castleton Road, Goodmayes.

2) William W Martin
A colleague of Joe’s in the GB Olympic squad, WW was unlucky not to make the starting XI in Stockholm. He had already made a number of appearances in an England shirt and had been a mainstay of Ilford’s defence for 8 seasons. In 1912, he transferred to Huddersfield Town (where former Ilford and England colleague, Fred Bullock, was by now captain of the Yorkshire club). Martin returned to Ilford after just 5 matches and his career seems to have ended with the War.

3) Guy Holmes
An exceptional defenderr and captain of Ilford in the late ‘30’s, Guy Holmes reputation has struggled with the notoriety of being IFC’s only player (as far as we know) to have shaken the hand of Adolf Hitler!!…..Unbelievable but quite true -By the time of the !936 Munich Olympics (at which Holmes had been picked to represent Great Britain), the perceived threat of Nazism was already sending shockwaves throughout Europe. To appease both ally and foe, Hitler wanted to associate his regime with the best that sport had to offer (Jesse Owens apart!)… Joint favourites, GB, were whisked off to Hitler’s castle in Bavaria after their 1st round group opener and were escorted by black-suited SS guards to an audience with the dictator, where all shook his hand cordially. To their credit, the squad ignored instructions to give the Nazi salute before their next match, though the ferocity of reaction from German diplomats would ensure the snub would not to be repeated - The infamous salute given by the England team upon the visit to Berlin in 1938 bore testimony to this.

4) Henry Dodkins
Dodkins played in Great Britain’s two matches at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. A wing-half, he joined Ilford from school and played for them throughout his career. He also played for Essex, and England on 26 occasions. He was honoured with the captaincy of his country in 1957 and was selected for the combined amateur/professional squad to tour Nigeria and Ghana in 1958 by the English FA. That same year, he captained Ilford in the FA Amateur Cup final versus Woking, but this, the one honour that had eluded him during his illustrious career, continued to do so.

5) Dalton Grant
Cheating perhaps, as this former IFC player represented his country in a totally different sport, but an Olympian nonetheless. The nation’s best high jumper, Dalton performed in Olympic ames at Seoul(1988), Barcelona(1992) and Atlanta(1996). He won 4 national titles, was a Commonwealth Games gold medallist and at the 1997 World Championships, Dalton opened with a world record jump of 2.32 for an opening height. He had the honour of captaining The GC Athletics Team. In 2011 he was inducted into the London Youth Games Hall of Fame. Dalton was also a board director of the London 2012 Olympic bid team, all this as well as turning out occasionally in the blee and white hoops of Ilford Football Club (when time allowed)! Still prominent locally, Dalton was a spectator at IFC’s amazing recent 9-0 FA Cup triumph over Burnham Ramblers.

Michael Foley
Committee Member and Ilford FC Historian