Leyton Orient can be traced back to Glyn Cricket Club, in or around 1881. As with many cricket clubs of the time, they thought it would be a good idea to play football during the winter months to keep the lads fit, little did many of these clubs know that the football would outgrow and outlast the cricket teams they originated from. In 1888 on the suggestion of a player, who at the time worked for the Orient Shipping Company and the football club, they took on the name of Orient. In 1898 the club changed its name to Clapton Orient in order to try and capture the support of the affluent residents of Clapton. Another name change was needed when in 1937 the club moved to Leyton.
In 1965 the Borough of Leyton was incorporated into the New London Borough of Waltham Forest, and the manager of the time Dave Sexton designed a simple blue and white striped shield badge that was so simple and the wrong colour they changed it six months later. (PIC 1) It was changed to an oval badge with the colours of blue, white and yellow incorporated within. This along with the red kit the club sported suggested the design was a representation of the logo of the company that took over the Orient shipping Company, from which the club got its name, the company being the P&O Shipping Company, or Pacific & Orient. (PIC 2) I have been unable to find a copy of the badge so it could be just a myth. In the same year that Southampton beat Man Utd at Wembley in the 1976 FA Cup Final, Orient organised a competition to design a new badge. Two entrants submitted similar designs, that of Clive Brown and Mark Hodge, and both won. “The O’s” chairman Brian Wilson, completed the final design before it was sent to the London College of Arms. (PIC 3) This is still the current crest, with the addition of Leyton being added when the club reverted back to being Leyton Orient in 1987. The badge comprises of two Wyverns facing each other. A Wyvern is a mythical beast half-dragon and half-serpent. The serpent is a representation of the sea, and Orients connection with the Orient Shipping Company and thereafter the P&O Group. The dragon, however, is believed to represent the City of London’s crest, (PIC 4) and if we compare the two then you can see there is more than just a passing resemblance.
The City of London crest combines the cross of St George with the emblem of the City’s patron St Paul, in the top left quarter. Some of the supporter’s pin badges, use the Cross of St George, so we can assume the designers of the badge did indeed rely heavily of the coat of arms. The crest, or top is derived from a 16th Century seal, which shows above the shield a helmet with a fan-shaped top, painted with a cross. Apparently the fan was mistaken for a dragon’s wing, and early in the 17th Century, the city invented a pair of dragon supporters to match it. This means that the dragons were basically based on an error! Back to the badge, and the football is self-explanatory, and the date on the ball is obviously the date Orient were born to play football instead of cricket. The symbols were set in a shield, in the shape of an O representing the club’s nickname of “The O’s”, but this has since been removed, which is a shame as it was a nice touch.
We know where the name Orient came from, but what about Leyton? Well, the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word, Leac meaning Leek and Tun, a farmstead so the name means, someone, working and living on a leek farm. Orient play at the 9,271 capacity Breyer Group Stadium, but fans still refer to it as Brisbane Road and as it is still in Brisbane Road, so why not. The ground is unique in the fact that in every corner, instead of each stand meeting the other there is a block of residential flats complete with balconies on which to sit and watch the games if you wish. Local rivals are West Ham, but there is also something about Brighton they are not keen on. Many thanks, are due to “The O’s” press officer, Matt Porter for his help in pointing me toward information supplied by Steve Jenkins, and Neil Kaufman. For even more on Leyton Orient then ship your way to www.leytonorient.com
