Soccer History (Continued)

An update on last month's story about the effort to organize a match in Normandy to commemorate a 1944 game between a local French team and a U.S. Army Air Force group:

An American, Jim Frison, who is assisting with the research, tells me that organizer Jan Milders, a Dutchman, is hoping to stage the event this June 6 (D-Day) in Saint-Pierre-Eglise. Milders has also apparently located one of the players: British war hero Tom Neil, a liaison with the American 100th Fighter Wing during the Normandy invasion.

Milders: "After a bit of Internet sleuthing, I contacted Wing Commander Neil. I asked him if he had any recollection of the game: 'Remember it? I organized it!' and he told me he had played in it. A lovely man who wants to help and tell the story. If physically possible, he is very willing to come over for the match!"

Milders also located the referee's daughter and a French player. The local paper is providing coverage. "The event is really beginning to live in the local community's mind," he said. "I'm getting loads of calls from people who were there or who just want to show their support."

For more about the original match, click here. To learn more about Neil, click here.

Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed suggestions on how to locate the participants and navigate military channels. We will keep you updated as the project progresses.