Charlie Sillett

Charles Sillett
Born	1906-10-29 Plumstead, England
Died	1945-02-27
Occupation(s)	Professional footballer, Royal Navy sailor
Years active	1931–1938 (football)
Known for	Full back for Southampton; killed in World War II naval action

Charles Thomas Sillett (29 October 1906 – 27 February 1945) was an English professional footballer known for his role as a full back with Southampton during the 1930s. He was also the father of notable footballers John Sillett and Peter Sillett.

In 1945, while serving in the Royal Navy, Sillett lost his life during a U-boat assault on an Allied convoy. Earlier, in 1942, he had survived the torpedo attack on HMS Registan.

Army

Originating from Plumstead, Sillett enlisted in the Army in 1926, joining the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps stationed at Tidworth Camp. He advanced to Sergeant and worked as a physical training instructor, earning multiple Army football representative selections.

After his military service ended in 1931, he briefly played for Barking Town competing in the Athenian League. Later that year, in October, he signed with Second Division team Southampton.

Southampton

Before making his first-team debut, Sillett appeared in two reserve matches. Due to injuries affecting key attackers, he was brought into Southampton’s starting lineup. On 2 January 1932, he scored twice during his debut in a 3–1 victory at Burnley and continued playing up front until Ted Drake took over in March. Toward the end of that season, he was repositioned to left-back for the last three fixtures.

During the 1932–33 campaign, manager George Kay preferred a stable defensive formation, restricting Sillett to just six appearances. The subsequent season saw him sidelined from his usual full-back position but featured in four matches as an inside right, netting two goals in a commanding 5–0 triumph against Bradford.

By August 1934, Sillett secured a regular spot in the first team, missing only three games throughout the 1934–35 season while alternating between left and right back. His adaptability and growing popularity were evident as he played every match in the 1935–36 season, often deployed in midfield or occasionally as centre forward. This period included an 8–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and a record-low attendance of just 1,875 spectators at The Dell against Port Vale.

In the following season (1936–37), he missed only one league game as Southampton narrowly escaped relegation by finishing 19th. A highlight was facing eventual FA Cup champions Sunderland before a record crowd of 30,380 at The Dell, although Southampton lost narrowly by 3–2.

In his last year with Southampton (1937–38), Sillett was named team captain and led with distinction despite missing about one-third of the season due to injury before retiring from professional football. Over seven seasons, he accumulated 183 league and cup appearances and scored ten goals. Throughout his tenure, Southampton endured financial difficulties and consistently placed in the league's lower half.

Later career and death

Following his professional career, Sillett briefly played non-League football with Guildford City before managing "The Lamb" pub located in Nomansland within the New Forest.

During World War II, he served as a DEMS gunner aboard Royal Navy vessels. On 29 September 1942, while serving as an Able Seaman on HMS Registan, the ship was torpedoed by U-332 east of Barbados; Sillett survived after being rescued by an Argentinian merchant ship. Later, on 27 February 1945, while aboard the Norwegian freighter SS Corvus as part of convoy BTC 81 near Lizard Point, Cornwall, the vessel was struck by torpedoes from U-1018 and sank quickly. Sillett perished during this attack. Both German submarines involved were sunk shortly thereafter. His memory is honored on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Family

Sillett was married to Anne and they had two sons, Peter (born 1933) and John (born 1936), both of whom began their football careers as trainees at Southampton before transferring to Chelsea. Peter featured in 64 matches for Southampton prior to an extensive tenure at Chelsea, where he made 260 league appearances and earned three England caps in 1955; he was also selected for England's squad in the 1958 World Cup. Although John did not play for Southampton's senior team, he accumulated 93 league appearances with Chelsea, later representing Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle. Subsequently, he managed Hereford United and Coventry City, guiding the latter to triumph in the 1987 FA Cup final.

See also

• List of footballers killed during World War II

External links

• Lamb Inn at Nomansland