THE big, blond Luftwaffe sergeant was transported to Prison Camp 50, at Ashton-in- Makerfield, after being captured on the Western Front when the second world war was drawing to a close.

No-one then suspected that the tall paratrooper, holder of the Iron Cross among his five medals, would develop into the most famous goalkeeper in English football.

Bernhard Carl Trautmann, then in his twenties, would mature as the legendary ‘Bert’ Trautmann, of Manchester City fame.

He had first met with resistance from thousands of English League fans, but later became the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.

The year was 1956, and Bert was the first goalkeeper to be so honoured..

His career all began with his games for the Ashton camp team, and later the Liverpool Combination side, St Helens Town.

This led on to his 545 games with City.

It is intriguing how Bert became a goalkeeper.

He was an outfield player in the prison camp side but, after picking up an injury, managed to swap places with the camp keeper, Gunther Luhr.

He proved a natural for the position and retained the jersey for the rest of his career.

I’m proud to report that I was there, at the camp, as a wide-eyed schoolboy supporter, when Bert made that soccer switch.

A one-time handball player, he perfected the thrown pass to his players, rather than the usual goalkeeping custom of punting the ball right down the field.

He played 43 games for St Helens Town in 1948 and his brilliance drew huge non- League crowds.

In fact there was a record 9,000 when the team played in the junior George Mahon Cup final.

His stay at Hoghton Road (during which time he worked on farms) ended after a short spell when he signed for City in October 1949.

The decision to sign an Axis paratrooper had sparked a protest, with 20,000 attending a ‘get rid’ demonstration.

But the high-leaping goalkeeper, a noted shot-stopper and amazing penalty saver,began to gain acceptance.

He played all but five of the club’s next 250 matches.

He had played on with a broken neck in the 1956 FA Cup final, after a knock-out collision with Birmingham’s Peter Murray.

Then eight years later, at the age of 42, he left City.

Bert, born in 1923 at Bremen, is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame.

He was a player in a million and an example to all goalkeepers, such as England’s World Cup hero, Gordon Banks.

As recently as 2004 Bert received the OBE for promoting Anglo-German understanding, through football.

He had coached at Stockport and then in Germany, Burma, Liberia and Pakistan.

I was reminded of Bert’s spectacular sporting career through a letter I’ve received from James Donald Stuart of Sexton Avenue, Parr.

Now 73, he recalls going as a schoolboy to support St Helens Town.

They were to play a friendly with the German prisoners of war, at the Ashton camp.

“This is when I saw Bert Trautmann in goal,” says James.

And he was thrilled when Bert signed up for Town.

GREAT memories of a legendary time for soccer.