George Bradburn’s first season with Walsall in the Birmingham League had yet to kick-off when the country was at war and he was heading south, to work as a tube-fitter in the Whitehead Torpedo Works at Weymouth. He played his war-time football in the Garrison League, although he guested once for the Saints in a friendly.

The War over, he returned to Walsall, but signed for Southampton, in time for the resumption of their Southern League program in 1919-20.

A strong, rugged center-half and fearless tackler,

he missed only three of the first 31 games that season. But Alec Campbell then came in, played out the season and remained in command, so that George made but one appearance as the Saints won the new Division III (S) at the first attempt in 1922. Whereupon he returned to Walsall, who had been admitted to the division’s equally new Northern section. In 1939 he was a moulder in Birmingham’s Dunlop Rubber works.