Aldershot is a nondescript, slightly down-at-heel sort of town with a huge feather in its cap. Ebenezer Howard, father of the Garden City movement, would have been very proud.
From close to the centre (undergoing development) of the town a boulevard heads off towards Farnborough and barely deviates for almost two miles. To either side are smart residential developments, recreational greenery, sports fields, a cathedral, administrative buildings and a museum or two. This is where the British Army pitched its tents in 1854.
To fully appreciate Queen’s Avenue, it’s best to approach it from the south. In fact in January 2023 that was the only likely approach – access from the A331 at the northern end was blocked off, and the diversion signs were not entirely reliable. Besides, from the south you’ll have seen a little of Aldershot by the time you get to Queen’s Avenue and you’ll be ready for something better.
A visit to the Aldershot Military Museum will take you up most of the length. On the way, to the left opposite the stadium, you’ll pass a series of playing fields on which I turned out in midfield for the Powell Duffryn Computer Services XI in 1977. The game was briefly interrupted by descending parachutists.
The Military Museum is a modest affair: three sheds, really, with a variety of vehicles drawn up within and without. One of the sheds was used by Montgomery and shifted to the present site. One or two of the vehicles look as if they might be of similar vintage.
The first shed is devoted to local history, and particularly the importance in the area of an émigré French dynasty. Napoleon III’s widow lived close by after the disaster of the Franco-Prussian War and the loss of her young son. The property was previously owned by the Longman publishing family. Samuel Cody, pioneering aviator and a relative of Buffalo Bill, is also celebrated. Aldershot only really enters the picture with the arrival of the Army.
The second hut tells the story from 1854 onwards, in slightly piecemeal style. It’s nicely laid-out: considering the limited amount of space available, it never feels crammed. And there’s plenty for kids to do: a crawl space, replica vehicles, dressing up and, outside, a junior assault course. Connoisseurs of mannequins will appreciate the quality of the eyes on the Military Museum’s models – these things look as if they’re welling up.
Outside, tanks and armoured cars and something as ordinary as a Bedford truck complete the displays, although in the area that serves as ticket office, café and gift shop there’s a demonstration of rifles. It is, as noted, modest, and slightly touching as a result. This was, after all, a central cog in the functioning of the British Empire.
Elsewhere in the town, military history is recorded in different ways. Pub names, for example: the one across the road from the football ground is called The Crimea. And statues: in front of Princes Hall is a patch of grass with statues of a para, a Gurkha rescuing a soldier and a horse galloping across a bailey bridge. Further from the centre is a famous equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington.
During the Oldham game a number of curious things happened. Most involved the referee.
At one point he left a blob of spray for a free-kick and went to mark the line 10 yards away for the defensive wall. Behind his back the Aldershot full-back Ollie Harfield scooped up the blob in his hands and moved it a yard forward. The referee, perhaps alerted by the outraged howls of the fans, put it back… but did not book Harfield. It’s only cheating, after all…
Later, however, he booked Oldham striker Mike Fondop for accidentally running into an opponent at a restart. We wondered whether Fondop should perhaps be substituted, partly to avoid the risk of a sending off and partly to get the pacey Timmy Abraham on to the field. The referee saw that coming, and for no obvious reason booked Abraham as he was warming up on the far touchline.
And the Oldham goalkeeper, Magnus Norman, saved a penalty hit very hard straight down the middle. He simply stood his ground, parried the ball upwards and caught it. Was this a lucky guess, or had he done his homework on the Aldershot penalty-taker? Either way, it was a wonderful save.
Aldershot Town 1 Oldham Athletic 1
EBB Stadium, 28 January 2023