Luton – Another Hero Lost

I guess it is a sure sign of getting old when death becomes of those who have influenced your life.

It wasn’t long ago that I was mourning the loss of two musicians who helped influence by eclectic taste in music when Andy Fletcher (Depeche Mode) and Alan White (Yes) both passed away.

Yesterday, news broke that Billy Bingham had, sadly, died.

Now I’m not quite old enough to be able to say I watched Billy play at Kenilworth Road and in the 1959 FA Cup Final, but I can recall that he was one of my late fathers’ heroes.

I can recall when, in the late 60’s, my father introduced me to the delights of Kenilworth Road and the Bobbers Stand in particular.

Stood down the front for the action, my father used to wax lyrical, on the bus home, about how none of the current breed of players, apart from Graham French, could hold a candle to his favourite Billy Bingham.

Bingham had a fantastic career, in football, both as a player and a manager and it was sad to read that he battled dementia for many a year, the same awful ailment that eventually claimed the life of my own mother.

As my daughter is fond of reminding me of a phrase from the classic sci-fi show, Dr Who, “everyone’s life is a story, just make sure yours is a good one” I think it’s fair to say that Billy fulfilled that criteria.

Billy Bingham – RIP