SHOOT, SIR ALF!

ARMY DAYS OF ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP; WINNING LEGEND RAMSEY

- BY ANDY LINES Chief Reporter

Here is the only man to lead England to World Cup glory revealing his defensive skills against the Germans during the Second World War.

These amazing photos show Sir Alf Ramsey as a young soldier stationed in Cornwall manning our coastal defence in case of a Nazi invasion.

The previously unseen pictures hint that Ramsey, a right back on the pitch, may have also been a good shot - he is aiming a powerful Bren machine gun.

There are also ones of him in a football team, with Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry pals on a defence pillbox and holding a rifle, as well as getting in some bayonet practice.

The photos, offering a fascinating insight into Ramsey, were taken in 1941 and 1942. A year later, he was playing for Southampton and, from 1949, Tottenham Hotspur.

He also won 32 England caps before moving into management, first Ipswich Town then, most famously, England.

Ramsey, nicknamed The General as a player because of his tactical awareness, masterminded England's victorious 1966 World Cup campaign.

He took them, with skipper Bobby Moore, past Argentina in a bad-tempered quarterfinal, Portugal in the semi and West Germany in the final with a 4-2 extra time thriller.

The photos were given to Bodmin Keep: Cornwall's Army Museum by a former soldier's son.

The museum shared them with respected author and historian Grant Bage, who has just finished The Unseen Sir Alf, a widely praised book about the former England boss.

He said: “These photos are astonishing and have never been published before. They show Alf in a completely new light.

“I particularly love the photo of him smiling with his football teammates. He looks so happy despite everything and it’s obvious he's just getting joy from playing football with his mates.