Ernest Davies (31 January 1916 – 17 August 1942) was an English professional footballer who played as a wing half in the Football League for Tranmere Rovers.[1]

Ernie Davies
Personal information
Full name Ernest Davies
Date of birth (1916-01-31)31 January 1916[1]
Place of birth Heswall, England[1]
Date of death 17 August 1942(1942-08-17) (aged 26)[2]
Place of death SS Princess Marguerite, Mediterranean Sea
Position(s) Wing half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935 Heswall
1936–1940 Tranmere Rovers 48 (1)
1939–1940 York City 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Personal life

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Davies served as a corporal in the 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) during the Second World War.[2] He enlisted in 1940 and was deployed overseas c. December 1941.[3] Davies was killed aboard the troopship SS Princess Marguerite when it was sunk by U-83 on 17 August 1942.[4][5] His body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.[2]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tranmere Rovers 1936–37[1] Third Division North 20 1 0 0 20 1
1937–38 5 0 0 0 5 0
1938–39[1] Second Division 22 0 1 0 23 0
1939–40[1] Third Division North 3 1 0 0 3 1
Career total 50 2 1 0 51 2

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Ernie Davies at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c "Casualty Details: Ernest Davies". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Ranger's Notes on Sports". Liverpool Echo. 8 September 1942 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Rippon, Anton (2011). Gas Masks for Goal Posts: Football in Britain During the Second World War. Cheltenham: The History Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-7524-7188-4.
  5. ^ "Regimental History – 20th Century Second World War 1939-1945 – 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment, Lancaster – HMT Princess Marguerite torpedoed". King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Retrieved 12 September 2021.