Gillingham | Page 2 | Vital Football

Gillingham

Wife’s friend’s from Moscow, Idaho. They pronounce it properly, unlike the Russian one which they say to rhyme with cow (moo).

Rochester MN, home of the world famous Mayo Clinic.
I think there’s a Rochester in Northumberland up by the border.
Chatham NJ is nice.
 
My experience of the people from Scunny is that they are not the most friendly in the UK either, I think they feel they have to live up to a certain part of the towns name and do so gladly.

Strangely, I was down there one time in the late 70's and a van pulled up next to me and the driver got out and asked me if I knew where some company was based (we were close to Appelby Frodingham, later British Steel). I told him I was a visitor in town but then realised it was Keith (Bullet) Lindsey and let him know that I recognised him. I still don't know who was more surprised, him or me.

I started talking to him about the Gills and how he was one of my favourite players back in the day and he almost blushed - yes blushed, one of the hardest players to pull on a Gills shirt, I kid you not. We spoke for about 10-15 minutes about his time at GFC and then went our separate ways. Lovely bloke and a shame he is not still among us.

Totally agree, lovely man who I got to know very well knowing his son Scott! Not ashamed to say I cried when Scott told me he had passed away!
 
I think there's about ten or more Rochesters in the states. Unfortunately I think most, if not all, are named directly after people called Rochester rather than our illustrious town. There is a 'Chatham-Kent' in Canada that is definitely a direct reference though.

yes most are named after a person named Rochester but obviously those peoples ancestors were at some time named after Rochester kent.
 
Last edited:
yes most are named after a person named Rochester but obviously those peoples ancestors were at some time named after Rochester kent.

Yes. Was just pointing out that they weren't named directly after the town whereas some of the England based towns are.

When I lived in Indiana there was Versailles that was pronounced 'Ver-sails'.
 
I stopped off at Gillingham, Dorset a few years ago on the way to watch Gills at Yeovil.
We were going to take in the first half of the game before carrying on to Yeovil.
The game was postponed but we still had a couple of pints in their bar and bought a scarf from their club shop (shed).
They were expecting us and were very welcoming.
A good day
 
Yes. Was just pointing out that they weren't named directly after the town whereas some of the England based towns are.

When I lived in Indiana there was Versailles that was pronounced 'Ver-sails'.
When have the Yanks ever pronounced anything correctly? Sorry, I can't take people who say ALUMINUM when it is clearly aluminium, NUKULAR when it is nuclear and RUNNERS for trainers seriously. Oh yes, and forget the U in neighbour, labour, etc....

Actually, in truth, I don't mind them so much this is me being a windy-up merchant today as I feel sure there are some Gills supporters on here who are based in the States.
 
Only of I can nominate London and Medway (same thing nowadays) bunch of to$$ers!
Having lived up here for so long, I may have (I have actually) picked up a wee bit of a Scottish accent and have certainly added a few doric words in my vocabulary. My brother always takes the piss whenever we call each other saying I sound like Andy Stewart and asking me to sing "a Scottish Soldier" for him. Another reason for him being like that is the fact that I, for many years, played as a piper in a Bagpipe band.... don't ask me why, I did so because I just liked it. Thankfully I only have to say one thing and he shuts-up completely. He was born in Medway and I just tell him he sounds like a chav....... works every time!
 
My experience of the people from Scunny is that they are not the most friendly in the UK either, I think they feel they have to live up to a certain part of the towns name and do so gladly.

Strangely, I was down there one time in the late 70's and a van pulled up next to me and the driver got out and asked me if I knew where some company was based (we were close to Appelby Frodingham, later British Steel). I told him I was a visitor in town but then realised it was Keith (Bullet) Lindsey and let him know that I recognised him. I still don't know who was more surprised, him or me.

I started talking to him about the Gills and how he was one of my favourite players back in the day and he almost blushed - yes blushed, one of the hardest players to pull on a Gills shirt, I kid you not. We spoke for about 10-15 minutes about his time at GFC and then went our separate ways. Lovely bloke and a shame he is not still among us.
I found the Scunny fans very friendly when I spent a bit of time with them (they knew I was Gillingham)a few years ago.
 
When have the Yanks ever pronounced anything correctly? Sorry, I can't take people who say ALUMINUM when it is clearly aluminium, NUKULAR when it is nuclear and RUNNERS for trainers seriously. Oh yes, and forget the U in neighbour, labour, etc....

Actually, in truth, I don't mind them so much this is me being a windy-up merchant today as I feel sure there are some Gills supporters on here who are based in the States.
Agree aflp. One that grates with me is "mom" instead of "mum".
 
Having lived up here for so long, I may have (I have actually) picked up a wee bit of a Scottish accent and have certainly added a few doric words in my vocabulary. My brother always takes the piss whenever we call each other saying I sound like Andy Stewart and asking me to sing "a Scottish Soldier" for him. Another reason for him being like that is the fact that I, for many years, played as a piper in a Bagpipe band.... don't ask me why, I did so because I just liked it. Thankfully I only have to say one thing and he shuts-up completely. He was born in Medway and I just tell him he sounds like a chav....... works every time!

Oh flower of Scotland... 🙂
 
Gillingham means a ‘homestead of Gylla's family’ and was first recorded in the 10th century as Gyllingeham.

In Old English, ingas means family or followers and ham means village or homestead.

So combining Gylla, ingas and ham created the name.

It is also referred to in old texts as Jillyingham Water, hence the pronunciation of Gillingham now sounding as a "J”.

Thanks to Kent Live 🙂

Not just this, mate, but also Gylla was a warlord who was famed for leading his men into batlle making a hell of a noise. His name, 'Gylla', derived from the old English, 'gyllan' - 'to shout'. Hence our latin insciption, 'Domus Clamantium'. *

I love it when we make a loud of noise, it sometimes makes me think of Gylla when we do! It doesn't happen enough at Priestfield but I'm rarely not proud of the noise we make away from home, even when there are not may of us. The times when there are a few hundred plus, it's always noisy.

I remember one time when I went up to Milton Keynes with my old man. As a load of Gills piled off the train and marched through the train station making a right old raket there were a couple of coppers stood looking a bit nervous. My Dad went over to them and told them not to worry, that we'd not be any trouble but that we do make a lot of noise. On the way back after the game and thanked my Dad, telling him he'd been spot on; we'd been good as gold but noisy as hell!


* As mozzer has already pointed out! Cheers mozzer.
 
So right by us, we have Cloquet situated on the St. Louis River (and not the River St. Louis, those who wish to be aggravated will note). Cloquet we pronounce Cloquay a la francais, but St. Louis we pronounce St. Lewis.

Des Moines pronounced De Moin
Des Plaines pronounced Des Plaines

Of course, the country that gave us Wymondham and Keighley has nothing to shout about, I suppose.

Near Lancaster, there's a little village with a brickworks and a fabulous aerial ropeway. It's called Claughton. Any takers on pronunciation?
 
I found the Scunny fans very friendly when I spent a bit of time with them (they knew I was Gillingham)a few years ago.
I was actually referring to the local inhabitants and not the local Scunny football supporters. I have never really had any problems being a Gills supporter at an away match. I think it's because a mutual respect develops probably down to the fact that most clubs tend to go through bad patches but the diehard supporters remain loyal through thick and thin.

Scunthorpe, as a place, is not that dissimilar to the Medway Towns with just one large employer that is gradually scaling back and is likely to close sometime in the near future. In the town itself (might not be any more) there were a large number of empty and derelict shops however the bingo halls all had plenty of punters. There was also a general feeling of apathy - much like back home in Kent. To be honest, even though I do love the place where I spent my youth, I am always really happy when the car is pointed back towards the North after a match.
 
I'm loving this geeky stuff.

When I went to New Hampshire/southern tip of Maine, I visited Rochester, Dover and Portsmouth. Felt a bit wierd. Sadly didn't have a Gillingham there. I suppose nothing could match the original anyway.

I've driven up from Boston to NH many time for work. All of the road signs on the motorway are so familiar as you pass exits for Cambridge, Chelmsford, Woburn, Bedford etc.

Chatham, Cape Cod is very upmarket I believe.

I used to work with a guy from Rochester, NY. When he visited us in Rochester, UK his travel req would read Rochester to Rochester to Rochester.

If you look in Pennsylvania many towns end in Burg. Presumably due to many settlers of German origin.
 
My son in laws father lives near the Gillingham in Dorset. Theirs is pronounced with a hard G unlike ours. So when we occasionally meet he always asks 'How are the Gills doing?' (as in the fish breathing flaps!)
Annoying as f¥£#!