Somme home shirt now appearing at National Football Museum in Manchester thanks to work by departed Tom Jeffes

Leyton Orient have revealed their home shirt of 2014/15 bearing the logo of the O’s Somme Memorial Fund is now proudly on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

This is further to Steve Jenkins’ discussions with former head of commercial manager Tom Jeffes, who then spoke to Alex Jackson – the collection officer at the museum – to ask permission to have the shirt added to the items on show at the special exhibition ‘The Great Game, Football & the First World War’.

Clapton Orient’s major contribution to the Footballers’ Battalion is acknowledged in the exhibition with a number of items pertaining to the Leyton Orient’s service and sacrifice in the war on display, including the footage on a continuous loop, of the O’s last game of the season against Leicester Fosse in April 1915.

Also shown are a number of footballers in a training session at the White City who had joined up into the battalion. In the video clip former players Fred Parker, William Jonas and Richard McFadden can be seen waving to the camera.

Both Steve Jenkins and Peter Kitchen were invited to the preview of the exhibition in December as guests and a number of O’s supporters have visited the museum since.

Speaking on behalf of the O’s Somme Memorial Fund, Steve Jenkins discussed how good it was to see the shirt at the Museum.

“It was so heart-warming to see how well the O’s Somme Memorial Fund logo was received when it was added to the Orient shirt towards the end of last season,” Jenkins told leytonorient.com.

“It felt right that we should look to have the shirt included in the Greater Game exhibition and Tom Jeffes deserves much credit for actively getting the shirt to Manchester at the earliest opportunity.”

The exhibition runs until September 6 and entrance is free.