fred jardine - the scottish lutonian
Fred was born in Edinburgh in 1941 and grew up in Kirkliston, to the west of the city. As a boy he was Hearts mad and often embarked on a 10 mile round-trip bike ride just to see the side have lunch before the games. On one occasion he was even invited in to meet the players, and he carried the autograph of his favourite, Willie Bauld, in his wallet throughout his life.
A natural athlete, it was no doubt a thrill when his beloved team offered him a trial match in 1958. Yet it was Willie Thornton of Dundee who acted quickest to sign the 17-year-old, arriving at the Jardine household a day before Hearts manager Tommy Walker and offering a signing on fee of £200 in cash, a sizeable amount for the time.
The large squad at Dens Park would limit the playing time available and Fred was given a free transfer in the summer of 1961. Town boss Sam Bartram moved quickly and signed the young forward from under the noses of 1st Division sides Wolves and Leeds. The move south came as a shock to Fred, as he explained in an interview from 1973.
‘I had never been out of Scotland before and the big difference in the game struck me straight away. It was better organised, better equipped player-wise and certainly somewhat tougher.’
Below: Fred, watched by manager Sam Bartram, signs for the club in 1961.
He moved into 78 Kenilworth Road, a club-owned house directly behind the stadium, with Joe Payne as his next door neighbour. The move to England continued to be tough and Fred would only appear 41 times in his first three seasons, a spell which included Town’s relegation to the 3rd Division.
The nadir came in the summer of 1964 when he asked to be transfer listed. He hadn’t played for the first team since a 3-1 home defeat to Millwall on the 28th of December and had spent most of the second half of the season in the reserves, now lining up at full back at the suggestion of coach Stan Bentham. Fred made it clear he wanted a return to Scotland, but only to a 1st Division side.
In a happy twist of fate such interest never materialised and he would find himself back in the team at Vale Park in that League Cup match. It wasn’t an immediate success, but the move of John Bramwell further up the pitch saw Fred become first choice around Christmas 1964.
From then on he quickly became a favourite in his new position despite Town finding themselves relegated again in 1965. His pace was useful going backwards and forwards, and fans of a certain age will fondly recall his surging runs on the overlap and his ability to perfectly time a slide tackle. Such was his importance he would be made captain for the 1966/1967 season.
The arrival of Allan Brown as manager sparked a turning point for the club. After the low of a 17th place finish the previous campaign the Town were to secure the title in 1968 with Fred appearing 45 times. By then, in his seventh season at Kenilworth Road, he was the longest serving player. Indeed no player would make more appearances in a Luton shirt through the 1960s and he would finish with 243 overall, scoring 10 times.
Below: Fred on the attack against Lincoln City
His first team chances began to dwindle after that and he was to hang up his boots after a short spell at Torquay United. However, there was no doubting where Fred now saw as his home. He returned to Luton and worked for many years at menswear shop Popes in Bury Park, and also manned the gates at Kenilworth Road for a time.
As his daughter Karen, a Luton fanatic herself, explains, ‘he loved Luton. It was his home and he was often seen around the Town in the local pubs and had many friends. I am very proud of what he achieved.’
He lived in Leagrave later in life and remained in contact with his close friend and fellow Hatter, John Moore. Another teammate from the time, Max Dougan, compared Jardine to Liverpool and Scotland’s Andy Robertson, ‘both great wing backs and never shy of a robust challenge against the oppositon winger.’
Fred Jardine passed away in October 2019. The next home match, against Bristol City, was marked with a terrific round of applause for a fondly remembered player. The Hatters went into the game without a home victory for six weeks but, after a slow first 45 minutes, put in a dominant 2nd half display to win 3-0. Freddie would have been proud.
Our thanks to Karen Robertson for her help with this article.
Below: Fred at Popes, where he worked for many years.
Below: Fred (second left) with Wolves and England legend Billy Wright, Bruce RIoch and David Pleat amongst others.
Below: Fred in later life, proudly wearing his Luton shirt.
