Southampton’s manager, Tom Parker, had tried no fewer than six players at centre-forward in 1937-38. His summer solution was to bring in Reg Tomlinson from Grimsby, where he had failed to get a regular game in the First Division.

A man of “hefty build”, as the Echo put it,

Reg was quick for his size. He settled in at centre-forward, with another new signing, Fred Briggs, as his strike-partner.The two of them were still in tandem when the War brought an end to “official” football in September 1939. Having joined the War Reserve Police, along with many a team-mate, Reg was one of the handful who soon transferred to the Borough Police Force, with whom he served until 1970.He remained registered with the Saints during the War, but featured in only two war-time games for them. He was now playing most of his football for a strong Southampton Police side, while occasionally guesting elsewhere. After the War, he signed for the Police, who continued to have a presence, not only locally – winning the Hampshire League Division II in 1947 – but nationally, in reaching two Police Cup Finals.