On 28 August 2026 and during the following days, Gianluca Sardi, Rob Woodford and Dave Sullivan honoured the memory of Dr. William Murray-Leslie, who was the founder and first chairman of Millwall Rovers, that later became Millwall Football Club.
The trio started the celebrations at The Den in the morning of the 28th of August, that was the 75th anniversary since the passing of Dr. William.
As constantly highlighted during the research activity of the Academy of Anglo-Italian Comparative Law and Bioethics (whose Gianluca Sardi is the Director) with the precious support of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (whose Dr. Murray-Leslie was a Fellow) and of the National Portrait Gallery, Rob Woodford and Dave Sullivan, William was born in Westor Studdie Farm House in Ross-shire (Northern Scotland, not far from Loch Ness) in 1859.
A brilliant student since his childhood years, our first chairman started to practise as a medical assistant in Bolton in 1881, at the age of 22. During the following years, he moved to the Isle of Dogs, in the heart of the London Docklands, an area that was very different from today's landscape of Canary Wharf and Crossharbour. His address was in Glengall Road, Cubitt Town, just a few meters away from the River Thames.
In 1885 he became the founder of Millwall Rovers, whose he had the highest number of shares (30). He also was appointed as the first chairman of the club, that he helped and supported through thick and thin. William, who was not only an esteemed doctor, but also a qualified physician and a barrister-at-law, was very active in the organization of charity initiatives in the areas around the London Docklands, especially as far as the younger generations were concerned. This same spirit inspires the charity activities of the Millwall Community Trust since its foundation in 1985 (in the year in which Millwall FC celebrated the first century since its creation). The amazing professional results of William Murray-Leslie led him to become a Fellow of the British Gynaecological Society and to prestigious publications in the British Medical Journal.
At the end of the 19th Century, he moved to Cadogan Place (Chelsea), even if he kept on practising also in Cubitt Town and on supporting the lives of the younger generations in and around the Port of London. In 1910, he married to Margaret Holland, who was the daughter of the 1st Baron Rotherham and gave birth to Olga. After retiring, Dr. William moved to Surrey, but attended a Millwall game once again in 1945. In fact, at the age of 85, he was at Wembley for the War Cup Final between Millwall and Chelsea, a legendary game that among the spectators had also King George VI and Princess Elizabeth. The immense love that William had for the football club he had founded sixty years earlier was demonstrated once again in this historic occasion for Millwall and its fanbase. According to the late John Cooper (a legendary Millwall lover from Bermondsey, who passed at the age of 102, was a regular at The Den until his final years and had the privilege to know William in person), Dr. Murray-Leslie's final game at The (Old) Den was on 25 April 1951 (at the age of 92), when The Lions beat Exeter City 5-0 in the League thanks to a gorgeous hat-trick of Frank Neary. At the end of the game, William was so impressed by Neary's performance and leadership that he thought he had seen the new Duncan Hean, the unforgettable player and first captain of Millwall Rovers in the very early years of the club. It is really amazing to think that the founding father of The Lions said farewell to The Den in such a fantastic game. Dr. William died peacefully in Haslemere (Surrey) on 28 August 1951.
On 1 September 2026, Gianluca Sardi and Rob Woodford, with the precious help of the administrative staff at Woking Crematorium, were able to find the final resting place of Dr. William, that is near the lake inside the crematorium. It was a very emotional moment for everyone involved in the research about the life of such an amazing and legendary doctor, whose legacy is still visible in London, in the UK and in Europe. In fact, in addition to the previously described appointments, William Murray-Leslie was also a Medical Referee to the Government under the Workmen's Compensation Act for the City of London (he was appointed by the Home Secretary) and worked in renowned hospitals in Paris, such as Hopital Cochin and the Maternité.
On Wednesday 2 September 2026, before the Millwall home game against Wrexham, Dr. Murray-Leslie's memory was honoured before the game by Millwall FC Director Peter Garston and Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Anglo-Italian Comparative Law and Bioethics, by prof. Gianluca Sardi, Rob Woodford and Dave Sullivan, by the writer Mike George, by the First Councillor and Head of the Economic Office of the Italian Embassy in London Dr. Umberto Bernardo, by Dr. Alberto Zingales (Honorary Member of the Academy of Anglo-Italian Comparative Law and Bioethics and partner of the Millwall Lionesses) and by Eduardo Giusto and Sara D'Amico (Event Managers at the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the UK, that was founded just some months after Millwall Rovers and is a precious bridge between British and Italian businesses). AC Milan Legend Filippo Galli (Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Anglo-Italian Comparative Law and Bioethics) was unfortunately unable to attend the event, but expressed his huge support and appreciation to the initiatives in memory of Dr. William Murray-Leslie, that during his long and amazing life had professional connections also with Alfred Ormond Edwards, HM Vice Consul in Milan from 1893 to 1896 and first president of AC Milan in 1899.
Even nowadays, William Murray-Leslie is a huge inspiration for everyone connected to medicine, law and football, and he will keep on being an immortal role model and an example to follow for many generations to come.
