PETER'S FIELD AND POMPEY JOHN

A medieval man called "Peter", found a piece of land in southern England and named it Petersfield. I used to live a shortish drive from the Hampshire town and it has a football club. It also has a well frequented book shop, but it was not doing terribly well, until one day, an employee tweeted that there had not been a single sale that day (I think not the only time that sales have been poor apparently) which sparked so many responses, that the bookshop's sales website crashed. Within the labyrinthine corridors and shelves of the book shop there were also antiquarian delights, spooky figurines and a large collection of Portsmouth FC memorabilia.

John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood, yes that is his name, was the manager of the shop at the time and it is not the first time that he has made news. On match days he dresses up in an extravagant Portsmouth FC supporters's kit and becomes "Pompey John", a truly eccentric football supporter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZrcAr-9qs
He had been part of the Pompey scene since 1976.

On match days he wears blue and white dreadlocks, a blue and white stovepipe hat, a blue and white waistcoat covering a naked torso covered by 60 Portsmouth tattoos. He has suitably engraved teeth and he blows a bugle. He also rings his bell and shouts himself hoarse mainly during matches.

When I visited Fratton Park as a nipper, I doubt he was there then. Following his devotion to the club and to his bookshop, he is recognised as a true Petersfield character and a tourist attraction. He came into full public view during the FA Cup run in 2008.

In 2009 his portrait by Karl Rudziak, was hung in the National Portrait Gallery, sponsored by BP.

Petersfield has a football club that plays in the Wessex League Division One. The Rams were founded in 1889 as Petersfield United and like all small club have had their ups and downs. They reformed in 1993, play at Love Lane and were then managed by Gary Stevens. At the moment, the club seems to be on an even keel.

The Portsmouth FC badge is a classic star and crescent with a blue back ground and today a white 5 pointed star (not 8 pointed as in some badges). The design comes from the City coat of arms set when Richard I gave the city a Royal Charter following his Crusades and his taking of Cyprus. The colour, originally gold, was changed to white to make it more clear.

The club now is lucky to have "fan power" and this helps maintain its tradition. Hungerford Town has a similar star and crescent design.

Any "red" color found in the Pompey kit was introduced with reference to the Second World War hero, Field Marshall Montgomery, who lived in the city and watched the club when he could. The red is in memory of those lost in war. The club's earliest shirt was pink with a maroon trim, the same as the city trams and thus the nickname at the time was The Shrimps.
The use of Pompey has many sources including the shortening of Portsmouth to Po'm P(oint) used in the ships' logs when entering the port. There was also a French war ship Pompee, taken by the Royal Navy in the 1790s and recommissioned to the Royal Navy.