The recent death of well-known sportsman Ferdinand (King B) Swainson saw the last of the famed Swainson family of athletes who graced the Bermuda sporting scene with their outstanding talents from the early 30s to early 40s. He was 93.

Despite being small in stature Swainson was a giant on the soccer field, never one to allow his light weight to give opponents any advantages even when they stood head and shoulders above him.

Former Bermuda great soccer player and St. George's Cup Match skipper Leroy (Tubby) Richardson has vivid memories of Swainson to this day, describing him as being one of the most talented centre-forwards and goal scorers he has ever seen.

"He was a masterpiece at football, there is no doubt about it. He was indeed very short in stature, very light on his feet. I have never seen a centre-forward like him,'' said Richardson.

"In fact I can honestly say that during my many years in sports I have never seen anybody put him off his feet, he was extremely nimble, a master marksman and a very outstanding player overall.'' Swainson started out as a striker with the then Bowery team in St. George's, a separate entity from the Wellington Rovers and other teams in the town at the time.

After making his mark with the Bowery team Swainson joined the Bermuda Artillery when World War Two started in the late 30s and it was there where he was able to continue to play soccer albeit with a new team.

"I was conscripted in the Bermuda Militia Artillery in May, 1942 and of course King B had already been in the army and up to that point the Militia didn't have that good a team, '' recalled Richardson.

"A group of 20 of us joined the BMA, all regarded as notable players at that time that also included people like St. Clair Andy Smith, Arnold Boson Caisey, Dennis (Bull) Bean and others, and we had a pretty good team.

"But when it came to playing the Governor's Cup, which was a big annual event at that time, a decision was made to have the BMA join ranks with the Bermuda Militia Infantry and we had tough matches with the strong Malabar team in those days which naturally featured many outstanding players from England.

"By joining with the Infantry we now had a great team, even though Swainson was getting up in age by then. Our team in the old W formation included such players as goalkeeper Jeremiah Mills; defenders Dennis Bean, Tommy Murdock, Henry Francis, William Steede; midfielders Swainson, Arthur Smith, Reuben Alias; forwards St. Clair Andy Smith, Theophilus Wilson and myself Leroy Richardson.'' That team proved to be one of the best Bermuda could produce at the time as it went on to conquer the mighty British Malabar squad by 3-1 after extra time with Andy Smith scoring all three goals.

Richardson, who played on he left wing, recalled that event taking place on April 3, 1943 just before the war ended. "I remember that contest clearly,'' he said.

By that time Swainson had become a midfield player, but still a very capable player despite no longer spearheading the attack due to a loss of pace with added years.

While being a lover of cricket, Swainson never played but made a contribution as umpire and scorer while with the BMA.

"There is no doubt that Ferdinand Swainson was one of our truly great soccer players,'' said Richardson.

SOCCER SOC