The Last Pass – BBC News

But the glorious success still hid dark times.

He was “encouraged” to resign in 1956 after a miserable start to the season. It was front-page news and he never truly got over it.

Jimmy’s daughter Gladys went into labour on hearing that her dad had effectively been sacked. James Charlton Dutton was born the same day, three weeks early.

“Grandad really struggled after being sacked by Charlton,” added Dutton. “But he still thought he was very lucky.

“Many who fought in World War One weren’t nearly as lucky and he seemed to know it.”

The war experiences, and the impact on his health, did not make it easy.

“Depression affected grandad throughout his life,” said Dutton. “It came back to bite him a few times. He had problems with his lungs and his breathing and intense headaches.

“He never used to admit it was to do with the war and being gassed.”

But Dutton has wonderful memories of his “play-mate”.

“Growing up I had heard of my grandad who had played football for England and won the FA Cup,” he said.

“The first time I met him was when I was about six and we moved back to live with my grandparents in Bromley. I thought he was a superstar.

“He was a rather striking looking chap with silver hair but he was just grandad to me.

“We would watch the horse racing together, play football in the garden and he taught me to play cricket and golf.”

One day Jimmy suddenly opened up about his war experiences.

“We were gobsmacked,” added his grandson. “I remember it clearly.

“I was about eight and he was talking about how they were trying to capture a bridge from the Germans. They were running down this bridge and two or three of his friends were killed running next to him.

“He was a bit choked up and stopped talking and that was the only time I remember him talking specifically about the war.

“Maybe he needed to get it out of his system, as he was getting older.”

But the war was a time Jimmy, like so many others, wanted to forget. He cherished his football life.

“He was innovative and firm and fair,” said Dutton. “He would explain his decisions and players loved him for that.

“Charlton made a huge amount of money through his transfer dealings, he believed in coaching players.

“He was something of a celebrity and he loved it. People treated him with such reverence. People would ask me to get his autograph, I was so proud of him.

“We became good chums. I was distraught when he died in 1966.”

Sister Minnie and brother Angus were both survived by Jimmy.

Minnie married on Boxing Day 1923, with Jimmy missing an away game against Huddersfield to attend the wedding. Minnie had one son, Thomas, and died in 1948.

Following the war, Angus became Aldershot’s first-ever manager and was Barnsley boss for 16 years from 1937. While at the Tykes, he appointed Tom Ratcliff, whose life he saved in 1916, as his trainer. He died at the age of 60 in 1953.

After leaving Charlton, Jimmy went on to be involved with Bristol City and Millwall, where he was still a director when he died midway through England’s World Cup-winning campaign.

It was just over a month shy of 50 years after the football-obsessed young man first set foot in France during World War One.