Never-before-seen photographs of England's 1966 World Cup-winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey during his World War Two army service have been uncovered. The images, taken in Cornwall in 1941 and 1942, show Ramsey manning a Bren gun, practising with a bayonet, and holding a rifle. They were donated to Bodmin Keep: Cornwall's Army Museum by Keith Slyfield, whose father Kenneth appears in several of the photos.
Historian and author Grant Bage, who wrote "The Unseen Sir Alf", described the photos as "astonishing" and said they show Ramsey in a completely new light. Ramsey served with the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, helping to protect Britain's coastal defences from a feared German invasion. Bage noted that using the Bren gun required strength and teamwork due to its weight and recoil.
Bage received the photos from the museum after finishing his book. He said: "When I opened the email I just could not believe my eyes. I immediately shouted out to my wife Jane … I felt ridiculously emotional." The photos are among the first images of Ramsey in the public domain from outside football, illustrating a pivotal part of his life.
Bage's earlier research revealed Ramsey was "50 years ahead of his time" in supporting a player convicted of homosexual offences in the 1950s while manager of Ipswich Town. The exact locations of the photos are unknown, but museum experts are working to identify them. Bage added: "New information is emerging all the time but early photos of Alf are very rare."
