THE SWORD of an historic FA Cup winning colonel has been rediscovered in a Bournemouth attic as the competition celebrates its 150th anniversary.

Sixty-one-year-old Pokesdown resident and memorabilia collector Ieuan Llewellyn said he “completely forgot” that he owned the sword of Colonel George Hamilton Sim, who won the FA Cup in 1875.

Ieuan worked in publishing and was seen as the leading football crossword creator in the country, publishing crossword puzzle books for the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

Ieuan recalled a conversation with his father “many years ago” in which he was trying to work the name ‘Sim’ into a crossword. The only record of a Sim they could find was that of George Hamilton Sim, who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1870s.

Bournemouth Echo: Sword of Colonel George Hamilton Sim, who won the FA Cup in 1875 with Royal EngineersSword of Colonel George Hamilton Sim, who won the FA Cup in 1875 with Royal Engineers

The father and son then joked that no average football fan would be able to remember such an obscure player and left it out.

Years later, Ieuan met with a weapons collector to see if he was interested in some early 20th century police truncheons he had. During the conversation, Ieuan revealed his interest in sports memorabilia which led the other collector to bring out an old sword.

Ieuan recalled: “He hadn’t got it on the shelf as it wasn’t for sale, but as he pulled the blade out I saw the name Sim engraved. I thought to myself hang on, I know that name. Out of all the other players that it could have belonged to, it was him. I got a real buzz so I bought it for £800.

“I arrived to sell some truncheons and ended up leaving with a sword.”

Colonel George Hamilton Sim was a decorated British Army officer who served in various campaigns in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Sim played association football and joined the Royal Engineers as a full back in 1872. Described as “very useful”, Sim was seen as a pioneer in heading the ball.

He was part of the squad that reached the very first FA Cup final in 1872, however did not feature in the final as the Engineers lost 1-0 to Wanderers. The team again reached the final in 1874, losing this time to Oxford University – again, Sim did not feature.

Bournemouth Echo: The Royal Engineers football team, winners of the English FA Cup Final in 1875. Sitting on ground (left): George Sim. Picture: Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty ImagesThe Royal Engineers football team, winners of the English FA Cup Final in 1875. Sitting on ground (left): George Sim. Picture: Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images

The next year, however, Sim started in the FA Cup final triumph (after a replay) against Old Etonians.

1875 was a memorable year for Sim who, five months after the cup victory, married his wife Bessie. The next month, Sim was sent to northern India where he remained for the next nine years. He died in 1929 aged 77.

More than 100 years after the cup final, Ieuan took the sword to the Antiques Roadshow programme. Producers were close to featuring him on the show but this did not go ahead after they couldn’t decide whether to present the sword as a military or sport item.

After this he placed the sword in his loft and admitted he forgot about it in the years since.

Following its rediscovery, Ieuan said: “I’d like to get hold of any relations to Sim, or maybe donate it to the Engineers or a football museum. But the ideal outcome would be to give it to a descendent as I can’t take it to the grave.”