F/LT Tommy Ryan

         Tommy’s wartime football recalled

Actor Simon Weir, well known for his roles in Scottish soaps High Road and River City, is looking for information on his grandfather’s wartime career in Shetland.

Flight Lieutenant Thomas Davis Ryan, known as Tommy, served in the RAF Volunteer Reserve based at RAF Sullom Voe. He was in the meteorological service, flying in Sunderland, Halifax and Oxford aircraft. Simon, 36, has a couple of mem­entos belonging to his grandfather, including a winner’s medal from a football competition in 1944 for The Shetland Times Cup. Tommy had previously played junior football with Duntocher Hibs and senior with Glasgow Celtic in the 1930s.
                                               

Wartime football in the isles was extremely popular, and according to Jim Peterson’s book The History of Shetland Football 1887-1987 an amazing 32 teams did battle in 1944, divided into divided into two divisions of 16 (north and south).
                                         

The RAF Sullom Voe team, known as “Northern”, won their division, ahead of the strangely named “Hashish Club” in second place, and also the knockout competition for The Shetland Times Cup. They defeated Bydand (Gordon Highlanders) 6-2 in the final at Gilbertson Park on 30th September in front of nearly 2,000 spectators. The winning team was: Simpson; Meldrum, Gregson; Phil­lips, Hardwick, Aarbuck; Ryan, Kane, Lee, Wright, Karlsen.
                                         

Following the war Tommy rejoined the RAF and served until 1961. After that he was a met officer for the British Gov­ernment and was posted to Nigeria, The Congo and Maastricht. He was last seen in Belize in the 1970s and Tarragona in Spain in 1982.

Simon never met his grandfather as he had left his wife and children in the mid-1960s, but would love to know more about him and his time at Sullom Voe.

Football team at Gilbertson Park. R.A.F. Sullom Voe v. Gordon Highlanders; this is the winning Royal Air Force team. Referee at left is "Peerie Ertie" Laurenson. The first player on the left in the back row is F/Lt Thomas D Ryan. Apparently 32 teams in Shetland were divided into two divisions of 16, north and south. "Northern" won their division, ahead of the strangely named "Hashish Club" in second place, and also the knockout competition for The Shetland TImes Cup. 
                                         

They defeated Bydand (Gordon Highlanders) 6-2 in the final at Gilbertson Park in Lerwick in front of nearly 2,000 spectators. The winning team was: Simpson; Meldrum, Gregson; Phillips, Hardwick, Aarbuck; Ryan, Kane, Lee, Wright, Karlsen. Those are the only details." - (information taken from Jim Peterson's book, "The History of Shetland Fooball 1887-1987")