Vic Rae

Vic Rae spent more than 20 years as a top class referee, and when he retired in 1950, had more than 1,000 matches to his credit. The highlight of his career was in 1949 when he was one of the linesmen in the FA Cup final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City. Rae was an authority on the laws of the game and produced many booklets, pamphlets and quiz books on the subject. He was president of both the London and Malta Referees Associations and coached and trained referees in Iceland, Sudan and Ghana.

During World War II Rae served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and spent time in Iceland as an Amenities Liason Officer. During his time there he organised many sporting activities, including a football league. Rae acted as the appeals secretary for the Church of England’s Church Army for 39 years. In his leisure time, he enjoyed boating on the Thames and was the owner of a 40-foot motor launch “Up Spirits”, which unfortunately sank in 1954 following a collision with another launch. On 12 March 1960, Victor Rae collapsed while watching a friendly football match between Arsenal and Leyton Orient at Highbury Stadium. He was taken to the Royal Northern Hospital where he died three days later.