This was the year we voted to remain in the Common Market in the original referendum by Harold Wilson’s Labour government, and the year Margaret Thatcher became Tory leader.
Now those same ‘lads’ are still together as old pals, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their trip to France that heralded a new entente cordiale with our Continental partners — how times have changed since Brexit!
An average house in London cost £11,000 back then, a car £1,800 and a pint of beer 15p!
The lads played as the ‘Old Quintinians’ for the former Quintin Kynaston Comprehensive, today’s Harris Academy.
Two photographs show them separated by 50 years. The first is the Old Quintinions in 1975 in France ready for their great triumph on the pitch.
The second is the same line-up in 2025 — give or take a sub or two — a remarkable group still together and still touring.
Old Quintinians in 2025 (Image: Old Quintinians)
They set out in 1975 from West Hamstead for their Continental venture in a minivan called ‘Betsy’, arriving in Tocan St Apre, where they initially lost to the local village team 2-1.
Undeterred, they went on to Riberac, where a ‘Grand Tournoi International’ had been arranged with the local side and another from nearby Mensignac who had semi-pro Serge Alicot in their ranks.
Old Quintonians beat Riberac, then took on Mensignac in the grand final, this time winning 2-1 thanks to a last-minute penalty converted by striker Gary Bowles.
The celebrations lasted days, they recall, before the team went on tour to the Netherlands, West Germany and Denmark — winning and losing, playing in sunshine and snow.
These were happy memories relived this week by a remarkably well-preserved bunch of pensioners kitted out in commemorative tops.
Quintin Kynaston was two schools that had merged in 1969 — Quintin Grammar founded in 1886 and Kynaston Comprehensive opened in 1959. It became a foundation school in 2008 and an academy three years later, keeping the name until its new role in 2017 as Harris Academy.
