We want to promote and protect the history and heritage of our Club
We want you to know where we have come from as a Club, as part of the local community since 1889.
It is that heritage which has grown into today’s culture and values today!
27th August 2026
It was the day the rain came back and Bees United and the BFC Board were represented with family descendants of Bill Dodge.
It was a very local, TW8, gathering
We chose The Express Tavern, on the doorstep of Gtech and near to the site of our formation as the rightful place to honour and pay tribute to a true man of Brentford, or ‘Brentonian’ as coined decades ago.
Everyone knows The Express, it’s been a Brentford landmark by Kew Bridge since the early 1800’s and in the hands of the same family, the Aldingtons, to this day.
Stuart Hatcher, our BU Chair started the proceedings. Nity Raj (BFC Board) then spoke and Will (William Aldington-Smyth) shared some special historic and emotional stories about the family extending of course back to Bill Dodge.
We had hoped Fran Aldington-Smyth (83) might be able to join us as Bill’s niece by marriage, and freeholder of The Express Tavern – sadly Fran was unwell and all our best wishes extend to you Fran x.
Bill Dodge
Helped set up Brentford FC
Played in the first match
Captain of the reserves
Club Committee
Inaugural director of the limited company
Club President
72 years service
More about Henry William “Bill” Dodge
A chartered surveyor in the Brentford firm of Dodge & Reid, who were architects for many local buildings including Brentford Cottage Hospital, the Isleworth Infirmary extension, the Hanwell war memorial and Post Office and West Middlesex hospital new maternity block.
Bill was also elected vice chairman of Brentford Urban District Council and was a trustee of New Brentford United Charities. He resided for a while at Upper Butts, Brentford.
Bill’s sport
A young 22 year-old Bill, rowed for the Claret & Light Blues, the colours of the new Brentford Rowing club [BRC]. The club was formed in 1888 at the Bunch of Grapes, Brentford Ferry and Bill coxed the single men v the married men, race, that summer.
After a club dispute, the BRC re-established itself at the Oxford & Cambridge Hotel, Kew Bridge They felt that a winter sport was needed for their members and a BRC meeting was held in October 1889 to decide on the sport to play, with football as the best choice. Whether it was to be Rugby or Association needed a club decision. Bill proposed the motion that Rugby be played, but his motion was defeated by 5 votes to 8!
An Association football club was agreed to be established.
It would be called Brentford FC, wearing the same rowing colours, claret and light blue
Bill, a friend of the Aldington family, with Robert Aldington, the publican of, The Express Tavern, helped organize early club meetings in a room at The Express. Bill was in the very first starting XI playing at left-half, in that first ‘BFC’ match, 23 November, going on to make about a dozen appearances in those early seasons of friendly matches. By the time Bill had played on the 23rd, the new club had established their HQ at another Brentford pub, The Griffin but Bill’s close connection with The Express Tavern became even closer when in April 1896 he married Katie Aldington, daughter of Robert, the licensee.
Left column, 4th down
In August 1901, August 27th, Brentford Football and Sports Club Ltd was established, with Bill as one of its ten directors although he was suspended from the Board for a couple of years from April 1904, as the FA deemed him one of those responsible for making payments to new players joining from the army.
In 1949 Brentford FC made him Club President, a role he held until his death in 1961, at the age of 95.
Bill Dodge – A man of Brentford
72 years of servIce to Brentford FC and to Brentford TW8
