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The outbreak of war caused major disruption to the Irish League football scene, the Glens being no exception. Debts were mounting and attendances were falling, the outlook was bleak.
Trophy wise the Glens began the decade by winning the Co Antrim Shield by beating Linfield 4-0 at Solitude.
Because of the war situation Glentoran, Belfast Celtic, Linfield and Distillery decided it was impossible to honour a full Irish League program and so the North Regional League was formed, which worked quite well despite the sceptics views.
However all was soon to turn fatefully sour for the Glens. On the night of May 3rd, 1941, Glentoran beat Cliftonville in an end of season fixture. Little did the fairly large crowd that night know that they would be amongst the last to see the Oval as it stood.
During the night of the 4/5 of May, 1941, the German Luftwaffe targeted the industrial stronghold of the Harland and Wolff and some stray bombs landed on the Oval leaving it in ruins.
The main problem in the aftermath was the water from the nearby Connswater River that was now able to flood into the ground in volumes that the 24-cylinder 4-horse power pump just could not handle.
It was an eerie sight with the twisted metal and the playing surface now knee deep in mud and water.
The Glens however, in the spirit of the club, completed all fixtures in the spare kit of red and black borrowed from Crusaders, retaining the Co Antrim Shield.
Emergency meetings were held and on the 24 July that year a motion was put forward at a meeting of the directors that Glentoran should resign from the North Regional League, retain its membership of the Irish League, compete in the Intermediate League and seek another ground. This motion put forward by Mr Dickson was seconded by Mr Harpur and upon voting a 2-2 deadlock ensued. It was left to the casting vote of the then chairman, Joe Mercer, to vote to decide the matter. Joe voted against the motion and Glentoran, at the Oval, were saved!
However the new season was looming and the Glens had nowhere to play! An agreement was reached with Distillery that the Glens could play their home matches at New Grosvenor and the second team, after spells at The Park in Comber and Seaview, played their matches at Wilgar Park, the home of
Dundela.
The 1942 season saw the start of the Inter City Cup Competition involving Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Bohemians, St James' Gate, Linfield, Distillery, Belfast Celtic and Glentoran. They reached the final against a very strong Belfast Celtic side who had already beat the Glens in the Bass Irish Cup final and won the league that year.
The final was a two-legged affair, with the first match at Windsor Park and the second in Dublin. After a 3-3 draw at Windsor Park it all looked impossible for the Glens especially as four of their best players were not allowed to travel for the second leg due to current Army regulations. The Celtic team in their confidence had already booked the Gresham hotel for their celebrations so you can imagine the surprise and jubilation in East Belfast when word filtered through that the Glens had become the first, and only ever, Northern team to win the "All Ireland Cup". To round the year off the Glens also dispossessed the Celts of the Gold Cup.
It was not a good decade for the Glens with the destruction of the Oval and four Irish Cup defeats;
1942 Glentoran 1 V 3 Linfield at Celtic Park
1943 Glentoran 0 V 1 Belfast Celtic at Windsor Park
1945 Glentoran 2 V 4 Linfield at Celtic Park
1949 Glentoran 1 V 2 Derry City at Windsor Park.
Tommy
Hughes with Derry City Captain Jackie McCreary
before
the 1948-49 Irish Cup Final
One Gold Cup victory in 1942 and three Co Antrim Shield successes in 1940, 1941 and 1944. No League title throughout the whole decade, and no Irish Cup (the only decade this has happened).
The Glens desperately needed to return home but it would be the end of the decade before this was achieved.
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