Ted Wells

DOB: 14th August 1922

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1947/48

Season of last appearance: 1947/48

Full Appearances: 18

Substitute: 0

Goals: 12

Also played for:

Ashford Town, Ramsgate Athletic and Betteshanger Colliery Welfare.

Player Profile:

Aggressive Fulham-born centre-forward who later moved to Thanet and joined the Navy as a teenager. Ted was stationed at Holbrook and then Shotley in Suffolk and during World War II he served on Arctic convoys to Russia as well as spending time in the Mediterranean. He ended up in Hiroshima at the end of the conflict.

After returning home to Thanet in 1947, Ted joined Margate and he quickly proved himself as prolific goalscorer for the reserves during the early part of the 1947/48 season. On 1.11.47, Ted made his first-team debut in a Kent League game at Snowdown and he got the Margate goal in a 6-1 defeat before returning to the reserves. He made another senior appearance in a 1-1 draw with Canterbury at Hartsdown Park on Christmas Day 1947 and by the end of January 1948 Ted had scored over 30 goals for the reserves.

On 27.3.48, Ted was given another first-team chance and scored twice as Margate won 4-3 at Maidstone. From then on he was a regular in the side until the end of the season and he finished with a total of 12 goals from only 16 appearances. Ted's goals included two in a 4-1 win over Gravesend & Northfleet in the Kent Senior Shield Final on 8.5.48.

Ted began the 1948/49 season with two first-team appearances but failed to find the net and soon found himself back in the reserves. On 25.9.48 he was sent off playing for them in a game at Ramsgate.

In October 1948, Ted asked to be released by the club and he joined Ashford, scoring on his debut for them on 30.10.48. He went on to score over 35 goals for the Nuts & Bolts during the season.

Ted stayed with Ashford until the summer of 1953 when he joined Ramsgate. He spent four seasons with the Rams before moving on to Betteshanger in the summer of 1957. He was still with the club during the 1958/59 campaign.

During the 1963/64 season, Ted was playing local Sunday football for Westgate USC aged 41 and on 12.1.64 he was sent off in a game against Minnis Bay.

He was the older brother of 1950's Margate star Derek Wells and another of Ted's brothers, Gerry, also played once for Margate.

His nephew Steve Wells had a lengthy stint as Margate's Press Officer that ended in 2013 and in that year Ted was still living in the Thanet area.

In July 2013, the Isle of Thanet Gazette published a story about Ted after he received an Arctic Star medal 70 years after earning it by serving in the Navy. It was awarded to servicemen who worked on Arctic convoys to Russia during World War II. Many of his former colleagues were presented with their medals by Prime Minister David Cameron but Ted's arrived by post and he told the Gazette: "It was a terrible disappointment to be presented it by the postman after the others met the Prime Minister. I hope something can be arranged so I can receive a proper presentation."