[2][3] Curtis signed young Sunderland inside forward Percy Saunders and brought in former Manchester United wing half Tom Mansley as his new captain.

[5] Brentford began the regular season with a win, a draw and a defeat, before competitive football was suspended following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

[6] Percy Saunders, who had scored on his debut on the opening day,[6] would be the only pre-war Brentford player to die on active service during the war, when his ship was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean in March 1942.

[7] The cessation of competitive football was worrying for Brentford, with £12,000 having been spent on new players during the off-season (equivalent to £939,700 in 2025) and there was little prospect of recouping it through the turnstiles.

[8] The squad was augmented by three guest players who had previously played for the club – Scottish half backs Duncan McKenzie and Archie Scott and inside forward Bert Stephens.