When war was declared 4th August 1914 most sports stopped immediately but not football. The Football League carried on. Most players were on one-year rolling contracts so were unable to heed the pleas and urging of many people to join-up. The players only chance of going to war was for their clubs to cancel their contracts, which they weren’t inclined to do.
Many public figures tried to urge the footballers to join-up. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was one of the first to do so, followed by Fred Charrington, son of the brewer, who went to war on West Ham United for being cowards. Charles Fry, the well-known footballer and cricketer called for all football to be abandoned and contracts voided.
Whilst recruiing was going on at a fair pace more people were having a go at the footballers including the church. Mainly thru’ the Bishop of Chelmsford who rubbished those who didn’t put their country first.
Eventually a battalion of the Middlesex Regiment was formed called the 17th Service ( Football) Regiment. The first person to join was Franklin Buckley. An England International who would become manager of Wolves. Buckleys lead was soon followed when the Football Association and Football League gave their blessing for unmarried players to join-up. The 17th Battalion soon filled all the available vacancies. Mainly with star-struck supporters who wanted to fight beside their heros. Frank(lin) Buckley, having seen service in the forces in the King’s Regiment between 1900 and 1903, was given the rank of Lieutenant. He finished up as a Major.
Scotland’s top-dogs at this time was Hearts of Midlothian.They had won eight successive leagues games when the whole team joined-up, in the Army. Seven of them never returned. However the signing of the team had a great impact on everybody. Recruitment really gathered pace. By the following March over one hundred professional footballers were under arms. Led by Clapton (now Leyton) Orient, whose first eleven led the way.
Around this time ATHLETIC NEWS took the government and the "do gooders" to task, accusing them of trying to stop the man in the street from enjoying "the poor man’s sport". How hollow those last four words ring in regards to todays over paid "slaves".
Many of the footballers who went to war covered themselves in glory. None more than Lance Corporal William Angus who played for Celtic. He managed to crawl thru’ "no Man’s land" to rescue an officer who was badly wounded, managing to reach him without being seen. The return journey was exactly the opposite and Angus was hit about forty times. He eventually returned to his trench with the officer. Angus lost an eye and part of his right foot. He was awarded the VICTORIA CROSS.The first professional footballer to receive the award.
Second Lieutenant Donald Bell of Bradford City,reputed to be the first professional footballer to enrol, received a Posthumous Victoria Cross. He attacked an enemy machine gun post armed only with grenades, at the Somme. He was successful. Unfortunately he tried to repeat his act a few days later and was killed.
Another to be decorated was Leigh Roose, the Welsh goalkeeper. Despite being a "medic" he was thrust into the Battle of the Somme near Dainville. His citation included,….he threw bombs (grenades?) ,until his arms gave out, then used his rifle to great effect. He was awarded the Military Medal. He was killed attacking German trenches, two months later.
Jimmy Spiers also of Bradford City, another Military Medal winner was killed at Passchendale in August 1917.
A Momentous honour awaited Walter Tull of Northampton Town. One of the first to enlist, he fought at the Somme, earning praise from very senior officers but then developed Trench Fever. He was repatriated to England and when he had recovered instead of returning to France was sent to the Officer Training school at Gailles in Scotland, despite Military regulations forbidding "any negro or person of colour" being an officer.He was commissioned in May 1917, in the rank of Leiutenant.
He was posted to the Italian Front to become the first ever Black Officer in the British Army. He was later mentioned in despatches for "gallantry and coolness under fire" during the battle of Piave.
This is just a few of the many, many incidents in which footballers were involved during that war. How sad that so many failed to return to their loved ones.I wonder how todays "over-paid" under-achievers would respond to a similar situation.
June 25th, 2009 / cyril - Category: Football News
