Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
- Laurence Binyon

Often when talking about the careers of the footballing stars of the 1930s and ?40s, such as Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney or Peter Doherty, the question is often asked of what they might have achieved had the War not interrupted their careers. For these three what they did achieve was well over a hundred caps, FA Cup and League Championship medals in what were long and distinguished careers. Not so remembered are some of the footballers who served in both the First and Second World Wars who never returned to the playing field when hostilities ended, or indeed to their families and loved ones at all.

Brave Hearts
The 1914/15 season had began with eight consecutive wins for Heart of Midlothian, placing the Edinburgh club firmly on top of the Scottish League. At this stage Great Britain and the British Empire had already declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. On 26th November 1914 the entire Hearts team joined the British Army, seven of them never returned to their native Scotland. Three, Harry Wattie, Duncan Currie and Ernie Ellis, were killed on the first day of the Somme offensive. Over a million men (British & Empire, French and German) lost their lives at the Somme as the Allies gained 125 kilometers of mud and blood between July and November 1916.

Heart of Midlothian FC - France 1916

Another member of the team, 22 year old Paddy Crossan, was so badly injured that his right leg was labeled for amputation. He pleaded with the German surgeon not to operate. He told him: “I need my legs - I’m a footballer.” The surgeon agreed to his request and managed to save Crossan?s leg. Paddy Crossan survived the war, but later died as a result of the damage done to his lungs by poison gas.

Celtic Warriors
Of the 908,371 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed during the Great War, seven had been on the books of Glasgow Celtic - Patrick Slavin, Leigh Roose, Donnie McLeod, Archie McMillan, Robert Craig, John McLaughlin and Peter Johnstone.

Welsh international ?keeper Leigh Roose, who held a doctorate (had played just once for Celtic, in March 1910, on loan from Sunderland), joined the 9th Fusiliers in 1914 and rose to the rank of Lance Corporal. Leigh died during the Battle of the Somme on 7th October 1916 when his Battalion where caught in heavy machine gun fire and shelling whilst leading an attack on enemy lines ? the attack made no material gain. Awarded the military medal, Leigh?s body was never recovered, he is one of the 72,000 who died during the battle that have no known grave.

L/Cpl Dr Leigh Roose - Sunderland, Celtic and Wales Goalkeeper

The last ex-Celtic player to fall during the Great War was full-back Robert Craig, who made 13 appearances for the club between 1906-09. A Private with the 5th Battalion of the South Wales Borders, he was wounded as the Germans retook the Belgian town of Messines on 11th April 1918, and died on 19th April.

Coloured Spur
Walter Tull was one of many footballers who abandoned his career to offer his services to the British Army. One of the first black professional footballers in the British game, his career at Tottenham Hotspur (where he played ten games in the forward line, scoring twice, between 1909-1911) had been spoiled following racial abuse from opposition fans, and he was with Northampton Town at the outbreak of the Great War. Joining up with the 1st Football Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, Tull?s leadership qualities were soon recognized and he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He also fought at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, but survived and was recommended for further promotion. Despite military regulations forbidding ?any negro or person of colour? being an officer, Tull received his commission in May 1917, becoming the Army?s first black officer.

Lt Walter Tull - Spurs and Northampton

Having served in Italy, where he was mentioned in dispatches for the ?gallantry and coolness? with which he led his men at the battle of Piave, Tull returned to France in 1918 and fought in the Second Battle of the Somme. On 25th March he was killed during an attack on enemy lines. A number of his men tried to rescue him from no-man?s land under heavy machine gun fire. His body was never recovered. The obituaries stated that Tull was ?an officer and a gentleman, every inch of him?.

Away from the Battlefield
Thirty-odd years on, the Second World War was much more sophisticated, radar, Spitfire / Messerschmitt dogfights, Doodlebugs and the A-bomb, but this ?new era of warfare? led to many deaths miles from the battlefronts.

One such tragedy befell England and Liverpool right-back Tom Cooper. Stoke born Cooper had previously played with Port Vale and Derby County before arriving at Anfield in December 1934, where he was to become captain. His final appearance for Liverpool was on 20th April 1940, against Stoke. Two months later, while serving as a sergeant with the Military Police, he was involved in a motor cycle accident while on dispatch duty when he collided with a bus. An inquiry into his death led to all army dispatch riders wearing helmets. Such deaths were not uncommon during the Second World War, as black-outs made driving at night particularly dangerous, and many inexperienced men and women were forced to drive vehicles on the roads.

The Match of Death
We?ve all seen the movie, Escape to Victory, where a bunch of footballing prisoners of war, conveniently enough including Pele, Bobby Moore and John Wark as well as Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone, take on, and beat, Germany. Had they not escaped during the film?s climax, these actors/footballers would probably have suffered the same fate as the players of Dinamo Kiev.

Classic Movie, Or Real Life?

On 9th August 1942 Germany took to the field against a Dinamo Kiev side built from the ruins of the bombing raids on the historic city. All the previous war-time encounters between the two sides had seen Dinamo victorious, but prior to this particular game it had been made clear that they must lose. However, a “better die in hope than live in shame” ethos had been instilled in these players, and they would not roll-over. They were subsequently sentenced to death.

Really Bill?
Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.
- Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly - Life or Death

Some say that when Shankly made this comment, his tongue was firmly in cheek. I don?t believe the man ever really joked about football. But, on reflection, and as one who lived through the Second World War, I don?t think he really meant it!

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 12th, 2005 at 2:13 pm and is filed under General Football Articles. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.