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#Post#: 62723--------------------------------------------------
John McNabb (Burnley) 1924-2018 (F.L. Linesman)
DIR By: John Treleven
Date: April 13, 2023, 3:01 pm
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Burnley Express
John McNabb: October 12th 1924 - August 22nd 2018
Born in Burnley John McNabb attended St. Mary's Roman Catholic
School, leaving at the age of 14 to join the RAF "as soon as he
was old enough" according to his son, John, and going on to
serve in the 911 squadron as an airman first class with the
Lancaster Bombers during the Second World War.
He never really spoke a lot about what went on in the war, said
John (64) of his father, who died at the age of 93. Occasionally
he'd tell you bits like how they'd all be at a bar, singling
around a piano one night then the next night half of them
weren't there. He went deaf because bombs are fairly noisy
things, but when somebody mentioned to him that he could get a
war pension, he was having absolutely none of it; he said he
came home, a lot of them didn't.
After the war, John joined the Burnley Youth Organisation,
scheduling football matches between the clubs and refereeing
plenty of the games himself, which caught the eyes of the
Burnley Referees Association of which he eventually became
president, a position he held until his death. Bearing in mind
he was quite young, he got rapidly promoted, John said of his
father's refereeing career. He refereed from local league to the
Lancs Amateur League, then to Lancashire Combination and the
Northern Premier League. In the 1950s, he went on to the
Football League and stayed until he was too old in 1971.
He got international "caps" - in 1966 he refereed East Germany v
Romania and he refereed in UEFA so he got some other games in
the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Even when he finished he continued
refereeing for children's games as a volunteer.
Honoured for 50 years of service to refereeing, John received a
medal from The F.A. in 2005, presented to him at Turf Moor by
former Scotland international and Manchester United manager,
Tommy Docherty.
John married Alice Patricia in 1952 with the couple having John
as well as three grandchildren - Harry, Olivia, and Rory. Always
one for socialising, John was a member of Belvedere & Calder
Vale Sports Club from its inception as well as a member of the
Knights of St. Columba - becoming a knight in 1949 - and a
season ticket-holder at Turf Moor.
He would go in the Vice Presidents Lounge until his legs got so
bad that he wouldn't make it up and down the stairs John said of
his father's time on the Turf. He was a Burnley lad, born and
bred who would come up the Kettledrum - his local since the
1960s - and sit on a bar stool and chat away to his old mates.
He did a lot, did my dad; he went out and had a good time and
met a lot of people along the way, John added. He told me last
year that he'd thoroughly enjoyed life, and he had.
#Post#: 62744--------------------------------------------------
Re: John McNabb (Burnley) 1924-2018 (F.L. Linesman)
DIR By: stepan
Date: April 14, 2023, 3:01 am
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Interestingly, in fact, Eric Jennings was supposed to be paired
with linesman John McNabb in the GDR game against Romania.
However, due to the fact that Kevin Hawley, who was supposed to
act as referee, did not arrive on time, he received an honorary
appointment.
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