Nailers honouring soldiering striker

A soldier and striker widely acclaimed as Belper Town’s greatest ever goal scorer will be remembered with renewed pride by the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League's Nailers on Remembrance Sunday.

Belper-born Derek Bradley, pictured, was the leading scorer at his hometown club with 34 goals by the end of the 1959-60 Central Alliance League campaign and on the brink of a bright future in the game when he was killed in a swimming accident while serving in the Territorial Army's 23rd Parachute Field Ambulance.

Days after his death in June 1960, a letter from Blackburn Rovers offering him a trial arrived at the home he'd shared with his devastated parents who’d just returned from holiday in Bridlington to learn of their son’s fate.

A coach finisher at British Railways in Derby, the centre forward was dragged to his death by rip tides in Holiwell Bay near Newquay. Two other soldiers were rescued from the surf but the reservist, who joined the Nailers straight from school and also enjoyed a spell away at Gresley, was dragged under. His body was recovered later by the emergency services for burial in Belper and the funeral attracted hundreds of mourners from football and the wider community.

The tragedy was widely reported at the time and was brought back into sharp focus at the club last month when a letter from one of Bradley’s former comrades and best friends arrived at Christchurch Meadow. Ronald Purnell or 'Private Brummie Ron’ as he was known to Bradley and the rest of their elite medics unit, contacted the club following an Army reunion.

Now 74 and a fan of First Division South Halesowen, he passed his ‘para’ course with the Bradley and wrote to say how the player had been fondly remembered at the get together and was still talked about and missed by all who knew him.

In his letter, Purnell explained in heart-breaking detail the events that led to and followed the ending the blossoming footballer’s life.

He wrote: "Brad was a quiet sort, didn't drink or smoke. I only saw him have half a shandy. He just lived for his football and his home town. He was 6ft, 14st solid muscle, a real old fashioned centre forward. Hard shot with both feet, good header - he had the lot.

"Brad was a fit bloke, strong, but he couldn’t swim and the tide took him. The army asked us to take Brad home. That train journey seemed like an eternity. We met his mum and dad and his girlfriend - it was very emotional.

"The Belper people did Brad proud. Hundreds paid their respect to one of their sons. We were detailed by the army to carry Brad’s coffin to the church but one of his football mates asked us to let his team do it."

Belper spokesman Dave Laughlin said everyone at the club was looking forward to remembering their former player with particular pride this Remembrance Sunday after receiving the letter from his old comrade.

Laughlin said: "The club is incredibly proud of Derek and was touched to receive the letter from Brummie Ron to remind us of the waste of a great talent. Our older supporters remember Derek with great affection – apart from scoring goals for Belper Town, he also enjoyed a productive spell at Gresley Rovers and before that with Belper St John’s."