Category Archives: Story
Charlton Athletic and the First World War
CHARLTON ATHLETIC AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR Prior to the outbreak of a war that would change and shape the world we live in today, a bunch of lads of East Street had risen from playing on the cinder wastelands of Siemens Meadow to becoming a local amateur powerhouse. Amassing 22 trophies […]
Continue readingRichard Sparling – Sports Writer and Sheffield Soldier
RICHARD SPARLING - SPORTS WRITER AND SOLDIER In 1926 Richard A. Sparling wrote what was probably the first ever football club history, entitled The Romance of the Wednesday. But this was not his first publication. In 1920 he had written, with the assistance of his fellow sportswriter Howard R. Sleigh, the official history the 12th (Service) […]
Continue readingMyfanwy Trippier – Female Footballer and Land Army Volunteer
ON THE LAND AND ON THE PITCH - THE STORY OF MYFANWY TRIPPIER Despite its obvious age and awkward pose of its subjects, one cannot help but be impressed by the black and white photograph of Myfanwy Trippier and a friend taken during the First World War. Dressed in the conservative uniform of the Women’s Land […]
Continue readingThe Story of William Luke and World War One
AGAINST ALL ODDS - THE STORY OF WILLIAM LUKE William Luke was a former professional footballer for Preston North End and Hartlepool United who saw his career ended after being seriously wounded serving in the British Army during World War One. Born in the Northumbrian village of Acklington on 17 December 1890, William Luke began […]
Continue readingThe Story of Jimmy Revill
THE STORY OF JIMMY REVILL Like many professional footballers, deprived of their chief source of earning a living and under pressure to serve their country in its time of crisis, Jimmy Revill enlisted in His Majesty’s forces during World War One. After serving in the army for just over a year, he was killed in […]
Continue readingThe Story of Women’s Football during World War One
THE STORY OF WOMEN'S FOOTBALL IN WORLD WAR ONE Interviewed by a representative of the Imperial War Museum in September 1976 about her experiences of the First World War, Bessie Davies talked about her experiences as a munitions worker, with football as her major leisure activity between long, dangerous and physically-demanding shifts. It is worth […]
Continue readingThe Story of Sam Wadsworth – Post War Reject to England Hero
SAM WADSWORTH - POST-WAR REJECTION TO ENGLAND HERO There wasn’t much over an hour to go before Sam Wadsworth’s big chance of resurrecting his football career. But, as the train he had jumped aboard at Blackburn steamed on through the Pennines, he realised to his horror that he was leaving Nelson and his first game for […]
Continue readingThe Story of the Footballers’ Battalion in the First World War
THE FOOTBALL BATTALIONS Following the outbreak of World War One, a heated debate took place in the letter pages of many national newspapers about the continuance of professional football during a time of national crisis. Several prominent personalities of the day, such as W.G. Grace and Field Marshal Roberts saw fit to pass comment. The […]
Continue readingJimmy Speirs – A Hero of the Football and Battlefield
JIMMY SPEIRS - HERO OF THE FOOTBALL AND BATTLEFIELD In the ‘Official History of the Great War’, Brigadier-General J. E. Edmonds records that 244,897 British and Commonwealth soldiers became casualties during the Third Battle of Ypres. Among the dead was an FA Cup winning captain who played more than three hundred games as professional footballer before earning […]
Continue readingNorman Gaudie – Footballer and First World War Conscientious Objector
A MAN OF CONSCIENCE - THE STORY OF NORMAN GAUDIE Almost two and a half million men joined the British Army during the first 18 months of the First World War. By the end of 1915, however, it was clear voluntary recruitment would not satisfy the huge demand for manpower and, after much deliberation, the British government finally took […]
Continue reading