A century on from the end of World War I, Andy Hill recalls the remarkable tale of his grandfather who had entered the conflict as a sharp-shooting striker, and after becoming a casualty of war went on to become a Palace goalkeeper.
Tomorrow sees the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day and the end of the Great War. Palace, like almost every sports club across the country, lost players during the conflict, but many other employees were also affected.
As a child in the 1960s, I grew up knowing that my grandfather Charles Hill had been Palace’s reserve team goalkeeper right after the war.