All information is complete to and including England's last match, the fourth of the 1938-39 season, against Scotland on 15 April 1939.

Diary

Thursday, 3 November 1938 - England and Italy are to play an international match at Milan. Arrangements for staging the match have already been agreed upon by the British and Italian Football Associations, it was unofficially announced.

Monday, 9 January 1939 - Providing satisfactory arrangements can be made, the following tour in May next will be undertaken by the Football Association:- against Italy in Milan, Saturday, 13 May. Against Yugoslavia in Belgrade, Thursday, 18 May, or Saturday, 20 May. And against Rumania in Bucharest, Wednesday, 24 May. These decisions were arrived at by the International Selection Committee of the Association at their meeting in London today.

Friday, 24 March 1939 - On the eve of the FA Cup semi-final, Major Frank Buckley, manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, received notice that four of his team have been chosen to play Italy during the close season. Right-back Bill Morris, right-half Tom Galley, centre-half Stan Cullis and outside-left Teddy Maguire, have all been chosen. Although Maguire has not been chosen before.

Friday, 28 March 1939 - Vic Woodley, the Chelsea goalkeeper, Eddie Hapgood, the Arsenal left back and Willie Hall, the Tottenham Hotspur inside-forward, have all been selected by the Football Association to play for England at the end of the season, they are added to the list already headed by the four Wolverhampton players.

Thursday, 6 April 1939 - The Party has been chosen by the Football Association to make the close season Continental tour next month. The party will leave London on Tuesday, 9 May. In some respects, the selectors have sprung surprises for the side already picked to meet Scotland on Saturday week, Joe Mercer, Len Goulden and Eric Brook are omitted. The case of Brook is explained by his name appearing among those going to South Africa, but Goulden and Mercer have both been dropped. Teddy Maguire is the only new cap.  There has been a dearth of class left wingers this season, but Maguire, who recently moved to that position from the right has served Wolves well. The Meadowfield-born player has had only three years in League Football.

Friday, 28 April 1939 - The Football Association announced yesterday that Dr Peco J. Bauwens will referee the England v. Italy match at Milan. George Capdeville will be in charge of the match against Yugoslavia at Belgrade, and John Langenus for the match against Rumania at Bucharest.
Len Goulden, the West Ham forward who played a big part in England's recent victory over Scotland has been added to the list of players to tour the Continent.

Tuesday, 2 May 1939 - Elaborate preparations are being made for the England v. Italy match, being played in Milan. The San Siro Stadium is now ready to accommodate 120,000 spectators, after two months work. The Italian team will be practically the same as that which played for the world championship in Paris last year. Signor Giuseppe Meazza, the captain, and fifteen of Italy's best players, have gone into training at Roveta, near Florence.  The best eleven among them will be chosen to play against England.

Wednesday, 3 May 1939 - The F.A. announce that Teddy Maguire has withdrawn from the Party because of injury, with no replacement named.

Friday, 5 May 1939 - As Tom Galley, the Wolverhampton Wanderers' half-back, has not re-signed for his club, he is compelled to stand down from the England team. Charlton Athletic's Don Welsh takes his place. Leslie Smith, the Brentford outside-left, replaces Teddy Maguire.

Monday, 8 May 1939 - The England team of footballers who left London today for their Continental tour all regard the match against Italy as the most important. Hapgood, the Arsenal full-back, who is likely to be appointed captain, said: "We are out to win-but not at all costs. We know the game will be a good one, and we are naturally hopeful of success".
Mr Stanley Rous, the F.A. secretary, who is traveling with the party said: "We want to show the peoples of both countries that an international football match can be a friendly game without any unseemly incidents."
Whether the England footballers win, lose or draw their three games they will receive £8 per game. They are allowed 10s. per day out-of-pocket expenses during the trip.

Wednesday, 10 May 1939 - Tom Galley has re-signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, but still misses out on his place on the tour. In the meantime, Joe Mercer and George Male have been added to the Party, and Eric Stephenson has dropped out.

Thursday, 11 May 1939 - The Huddersfield Town goalkeeper, Billy Hesford, has been asked by the F.A. to stand by ready to make a dash to the Continent should Woodley, of Chelsea, be injured. Woodley is the only goalkeeper in the party.
At the request of the English Football Association the Italian Federation has agreed to waive the continental rule that goalkeepers must not be charged or tackled. This rule is one of the chief differences between the game played in Great Britain and on the Continent.

Saturday, 13 May 1939 - England draw 2-2 with Italy. Although their was a disputable Italian goal, the match was played with great sportsmanship!

Tuesday, 16 May 1939, Belgrade - England arrived here this morning. In the evening, the team laid a wreath on the grave of the Yugoslav Unknown Soldier, ten miles out of Belgrade. The tomb is situated in a gigantic mausoleum. Stan Matthews arrived limping.

Wednesday, 17 May 1939, Belgrade - England will be at full strength for the second match of their Continental tour against Yugoslavia. All the players were out practicing this morning, and Stanley Matthews, who was injured in the match against Italy, passed a searching test. The team will be the same as that which drew with the Italians.

Tommy Lawton, centre forward in all three matches, later described the doubts surrounding the tour in his biography, My Twenty Years of Soccer, p. 61 (1955) :

At that time, of course, the international situation was extremely precarious, and it was doubtful whether the Foreign Office would allow us to make the trip because of the possibility of an incident on the football field lighting the spark that would blow up the whole world.

But the politicians decided that we could go, and we left for the Continent by way of the short Dover to Calais sea crossing.  It was a long train journey across Europe, but it was a happy journey.  It was a case of flower wherever we went, and the welcome given us by the Italians (our first port of call was Italy) was of the type usually reserved for film stars.

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CG