'Foreign Legion' Swans

[YvonneH]

I remember reading a long time ago that once the Swans were called the 'Foreign Legion'.
Can anyone recall when that was i.e. South Melbourne or Sydney era and was that because all the players came from 'interstate'.

I am sure I have the book that it came from but which one I do not know as I have many many football related books and not only about the Swans.

[cheersquadsteve]

During the 30's South had gone on a bit of a recruiting spree. We had picked up quite a few players from outside Victoria. WA in particular. At that point we were known as the "blood stained angels". Journalist Hec De Lacey commented that the bloods team had so many West Australians that they should be called the swans. The Swan being the state bird of wa. The foreign legion line was probably just a headline used in a newspaper

[YvonneH]

Thanks for that cheersquadsteve. I do remember now we were once called the angels.

[giant]

During the 30's South had gone on a bit of a recruiting spree. We had picked up quite a few players from outside Victoria. WA in particular. At that point we were known as the "blood stained angels". Journalist Hec De Lacey commented that the bloods team had so many West Australians that they should be called the swans. The Swan being the state bird of wa. The foreign legion line was probably just a headline used in a newspaper

Yes, when I was back in Perth a few years back the local rag (The Claremont Post) had an article on this with one of the old blokes that went over. Quite a fascinating link.

[dejavoodoo44]

Here's a 1950 Argus article from Trove looking back on that era.

03 Jun 1950 - FOOTBALL FLASHBACK: WHEN A GREAT FOREIGN LEGION ...

[Old S.M.Blood]

BLOOD STAINED ANGLES South was still called "The Bloods" around 1948 I lived opp. the south ground and could hear "Carn The Bloods " on saterday arvo.The Swans started to creep in in the fiftys.

[YvonneH]

The history of the Swans gives us something to talk about in the off season.

[goswannies]

For insight try this book:

Bloodstained Angels: the Rise and Fall of the Foreign Legion by Mark Branagan and Mike Lefebvre about the South halcyon era

Jim Main's In the Blood also has some references

[Foreign Legion]

As per my username, South Melbourne were really the first club to go big on players outside Victoria. A lot of Western Australians in particular. L.J.Nash from Tasmania was handy too.

I think Carlton's raids of S.A. and to a lesser extent W.A. in the early 80's was the closest thing I have seen.