A TALK discussing the connections that World Cup winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey had to Cornwall is set to raise funds to save Bodmin’s light infantry museum.

While Sir Ramsey’s exploits as the manager of England between 1963 and 1974 are the stuff of often-told legend, his war service as part of the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry is lesser known but equally as illustrious.

His time in Cornwall was cited as one of the experiences in his life that shaped the person he would become after the war. After the start of the second world war in 1939, Ramsey was conscripted the following year and assigned to join the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

He underwent initial training in Truro, where he shared a hotel commandeered by the army with recruits.

Writing in his 1952 autobiography ‘Talking Football’, he said: "Until I travelled to Cornwall, the longest journey I had undertaken was a trip to Brighton by train. It was the first time I had ever been into a hotel.

“Even with us sleeping twelve to a room, on straw mattresses, could not end for me the awe of living in a swagger hotel."

During his time attached to the regiment’s sixth battalion, Ramsey spent the entire war years on home defence duties, and while he did not see action abroad, he described in his autobiography how the physically demanding training would set him up well for his career in football, with it making him, in his own words, “a fitter young fellow than when I reported for duty as a grocery apprentice from Dagenham.”

Ramsey’s military service in Cornwall was also the place where he cut his teeth playing football on a more regular basis, with his military service seeing him posted to St Austell in 1940. In between manning beach defences, he became captain of the battalion football team, playing as a centre half and centre forward prior to moving to Southampton in 1943 where his illustrious career as a player would take off.

In the fundraiser in aid of the Bodmin Keep’s appeal to save their museum based at the former DCLI Barracks in Bodmin, historian Grant Bage will be giving a talk in the town on February 20 about Ramsey’s Cornish connections.

A spokesperson for the Bodmin Keep said: “Join us to explore how Sir Alf Ramsey’s service with the DCLI shaped the leader who would eventually guide England to 1966 World Cup glory. Grant Bage, author reveals the 'unseen' side of Ramsey’s journey, illustrating how six years of military life—including three years stationed in Cornwall—provided the essential discipline and resilience for his legendary career.

“Grant’s new book about Sir Alf Ramsay, The Unseen Sir Alf, will be on sale at the event. Signed copies will be available to purchase.

“All proceeds from this event will go towards the running costs of Bodmin Keep - Cornwall’s Army Museum, ensuring Cornwall's history is preserved for future generations.

Further details and ticket prices can be found on the Bodmin Keep website.