# Football Battalion

The 17th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment was an infantry battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, part of the British Army, which was formed as a Pals battalion during the Great War. The core of the battalion was a group of professional footballers, which was the reason for its most commonly used name, The Football Battalion (also the footballers' or players' battalion). The 23rd (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment was formed in June 1915 and became known as the 2nd Football Battalion. The battalions fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 among others. Soldiers who fought in the 17th and 23rd Battalions included Second Lieutenant Walter Tull, who was possibly the first black infantry officer in the British Army.

## History
### 17th (Service Battalion)

During the First World War there had been an initial push by clubs for professional football to continue, in order to keep the public's spirits up. This stance was not widely agreed with and public opinion turned against professional footballers. One soldier, serving in France, wrote to a British newspaper to complain that "hundreds of thousands of able-bodied young roughs were watching hirelings playing football" while others were serving their country. The suggestion was even made that King George V should cease being a patron of The Football Association.
William Joynson-Hicks formed the battalion on 12 December 1914 at Fulham Town Hall after Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, suggested it as part of the Pals battalion scheme. England international Frank Buckley became the first player to join, out of thirty players who signed up at its formation. The formation was announced to the general public on 1 January 1915.
During training, the players were allowed leave on a Saturday to return to their clubs to take part in games. However, the clubs found themselves having to subsidise the train fares as the Army did not pay for them.
By March 1915, 122 professional footballers had signed up for the battalion, which led to press complaints as there were some 1800 eligible footballers. These recruits included 41 players, staff and supporters of Clapton Orient (later to be known as Leyton Orient) and 16 Heart of Midlothian players signed up for the 16th Royal Scots ('McCrae's Battalion'). In addition to footballers, officials and referees also joined the 17th, along with football fans themselves. Many football players deliberately chose to avoid the battalion by joining other regiments, causing the War Office to initially have difficulties filling the battalion.
A number of decorations were issued to the soldiers with the battalion. Lyndon Sandoe, of Cardiff City, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal with bar, and the Military Medal. The battalion suffered heavy losses, including at the Battle of Delville Wood and the Battle of Guillemont during the Battle of the Somme. During the First World War, the battalion lost more than a thousand men, including 462 in one battle alone at the Battle of Arras in 1917.
The 17th was assigned to the 6th Infantry Brigade, part of the 2nd Infantry Division.

### 23rd (Service Battalion)

A second football battalion, the 23rd (Service) Battalion was formed in June 1915. Former Tottenham Hotspur and Clapton Orient footballer Alan Haig-Brown was appointed commanding officer in September 1916.
The 23rd was assigned to the 123rd Brigade, part of the 41st Division.

## Legacy

A memorial to the Football Battalion was unveiled in 2010 in Longueval, France. It was attended by members of the Football Supporters' Federation and representatives of more than 20 clubs. It had been paid for through donations received from football supporters having been promoted by former professional footballer and SAS soldier Phil Stant. The ceremony was conducted by Father Owen Beament of Millwall and a two-minute silence was initiated by Gareth Ainsworth.
A granite memorial to the three Clapton Orient players who died in the Battle of the Somme whilst members of the battalion was unveiled in 2011, located in the village of Flers, Northern France. Over 200 Leyton Orient supporters travelled for the unveiling, which commemorated the lives of Richard McFadden, William Jonas and George Scott. A second memorial to commemorate the Clapton Orient side that served on the Somme, was installed and dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum on Sunday, 23 October 2022. The memorial was unveiled by former O's captain Dean Smith and Stephen Jenkins, chairman of the O's Somme Memorial Fund.

## Key

* Players listed in bold won full international caps.

### Playing positions

| GK | Goalkeeper | RB | Right back | RW | Right winger | DF | Defender | HB | Half back | IF | Inside forward | DM | Defensive midfielder |
| OL | Outside left | LB | Left back | LW | Left winger | CB | Centre back | FW | Forward | FB | Full back | RM | Right midfielder |
| W | Winger | MF | Midfielder | ST | Striker | WH | Wing half | AM | Attacking midfielder | CM | Central midfielder | LM | Left midfielder |
| U | Utility player | OR | Outside right | SW | Sweeper | LH | Left half | RH | Right half |

## Soldiers
### Officers

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Position | Club prior to enlistment | Battalion(s) | Wartime death date | Wartime death place | Decorations |
| Lt Col | Alan Haig-Brown | England | OR | Clapton Orient | 23rd | 25 March 1918(1918-03-25) (aged 40) | Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France | DSO, MiD |
| Maj | Frank Buckley | England | DF | Bradford City | 17th | — | — | — |
| Cpt | Percy Barnfather | England | WH | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | MC |
| Cpt | Edward Bell | England | OF | South Farnborough | 17th | 24 March 1918(1918-03-24) (aged 31–32) | Somme, France | MC and Bar |
| Cpt | Vivian Woodward | England | CF | Chelsea | 17th | — | — | — |
| 2nd Lt | Walter Tull | England | IF/HB | Northampton Town | 17th, 23rd | 25 March 1918(1918-03-25) (aged 29) | Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France | MiD |

### Senior non-commissioned officers

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Position | Club prior to enlistment | Battalion(s) | Wartime death date | Wartime death place | Decorations | Notes | Ref |
| CSM | Tommy Gibson | Scotland | FB | Nottingham Forest | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| CSM | Richard McFadden | Scotland | FW | Clapton Orient | 17th | 23 October 1916(1916-10-23) (aged 26–27) | Somme, France | MM | | |
| CSM | Joe Smith | England | HB | Chesterfield | 17th | 13 November 1916(1916-11-13) (aged 26–27) | Pas-de-Calais, France | MiD | | |
| CSM | Lyndon Sandoe | Wales | FB | Cardiff City | 17th | — | — | DCM and Bar, MM | | |
| CSgt | Fred Bartholomew | England | OR | Reading | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| CSgt | Fred Parker | England | FW | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | William Baker | England | WH | Plymouth Argyle | 17th | 22 October 1916(1916-10-22) (aged 32–33) | Somme, France | MM | | |
| Sgt | Ernie Coquet | England | FB | Fulham | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Robert Dalrymple | Scotland | IF | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Nolan Evans | England | LB | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Harry Gibson | England | LH | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Fred Goodwin | England | OL | Exeter City | 17th | — | — | — | [nb 9] [nb 10] | [25] [26] |
| Sgt | Ted Hanney | England | CH | Manchester City | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Jimmy McCormick | England | RH | Plymouth Argyle | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Joe Mercer | England | CH | Nottingham Forest | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Sam Morris | England | WH | Bristol Rovers | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Charles Stewart | England | IF | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Arthur Whalley | England | WH | Manchester United | 23rd | — | — | — | | |
| Sgt | Norman Wood | England | IL | Stockport County | 17th | 28 July 1916(1916-07-28) (aged 26–27) | Delville Wood, France | — | | |
| Sgt | Maurice Woodward | England | HB/LB | Southend United | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Act Sgt | George Beech | England | LB | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Act Sgt | Fred Keenor | Wales | DF | Cardiff City | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Lce Sgt | Jack Cock | England | CF | Huddersfield Town | 17th | — | — | — | | |
| Lce Sgt | George McDonald | Scotland | OR | Norwich City | 17th | — | — | — | | |

### Junior non-commissioned officers

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Position | Club prior to enlistment | Battalion(s) | Wartime death date | Wartime death place | Decorations | Notes |
| Cpl | Ben Butler | England | CH | Queens Park Rangers | 17th | 13 May 1916(1916-05-13) (aged 27–28) | Bruay-la-Buissière, France | — | |
| Cpl | Jack Doran | Ireland | CF | Coventry City | 17th | — | — | MM | |
| Cpl | George Ford | England | LB | Woolwich Arsenal | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | David Gray | Scotland | FW | St Mirren | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | Jimmy Hugall | England | GK | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | George Pyke | England | CF | Newcastle United | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | Arthur Roe | England | HB | Luton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | George Saunders | n/a | n/a | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | Billy Spittle | England | IF | Woolwich Arsenal | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Cpl | Sandy Turnbull | Scotland | IF | Unattached | 23rd | 3 May 1917(1917-05-03) (aged 32) | Chérisy, France | — | [nb 17] [nb 18] |
| Act Cpl | William Krug | England | GK | Chelsea | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Joe Bailey | England | IF | Reading | 17th | — | — | DSO, MC and Two Bars, MiD | [nb 19] [nb 20] |
| Lce Cpl | Charlie Bell | Scotland | FW | Chesterfield | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Fred Bullock | England | DF | Huddersfield Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Charles Bunyan, Sr. | England | GK | Standard Liège (manager) | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Herbert Dersley | England | n/a | Croydon Common | 17th | 1 June 1916 | Pas-de-Calais, France | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Edward Foord | England | FW | Chelsea | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Pat Gallacher | Scotland | OF | Ton Pentre | 17th, 23rd | — | — | — | [nb 13] [nb 22] [nb 23] |
| Lce Cpl | Norman Holmes | England | DF | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Robert Houston | n/a | n/a | Woolwich Arsenal | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Tom Pearson | n/a | n/a | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Lce Cpl | Henry Pennifer | England | HB | Queens Park Rangers | 17th | 24 March 1918 | Somme, France | — | [nb 13] [nb 18] |
| Lce Cpl | Sidney Wheelhouse | England | RB | Grimsby Town | 17th | 19 September 1916(1916-09-19) (aged 27–28) | Somme, France | — | |

### Ranks

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Position | Club prior to enlistment | Battalion(s) | Wartime death date | Wartime death place | Decorations | Notes |
| Pte | Charles Abbs | n/a | n/a | Norwich City | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Tommy Barber | England | HB/IL | Aston Villa | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Jasper Batey | England | LH | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | 23 October 1916(1916-10-23) (aged 25) | Pas-de-Calais, France | — | |
| Pte | Billy Booth | England | CH | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Jack Borthwick | Scotland | CH | Millwall Athletic | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | George Bowler | England | RH | Tottenham Hotspur | 17th, 23rd | — | — | — | |
| Pte | James Bowler | England | DF | Crystal Palace | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | David Chalmers | Scotland | CF | Grimsby Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Tommy Codd | England | OL | Leicester Fosse | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Tim Coleman | England | FW | Nottingham Forest | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | George Crowther | England | FW | Hurst | 17th | — | — | MM | |
| Pte | William Daley | England | n/a | Chelsea | 17th | 8 August 1916(1916-08-08) (aged 30–31) | Guillemont, France | — | |
| Pte | Sam Davis | England | RB | Plymouth Argyle | 17th | — | — | MM | |
| Pte | Charles Dexter | England | FB | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | 27 June 1917(1917-06-27) (aged 26–27) | Derby, England | — | |
| Pte | John Dunn | England | IR | Luton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Jack Dodds | England | FW | Oldham Athletic | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Jack Durston | England | GK | Queens Park Rangers | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Joe Fidler | England | FB | Port Vale | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Allen Foster | England | IF | Reading | 17th | 8 August 1916(1916-08-08) (aged 28–29) | Corbie, France | — | |
| Pte | Robert Frith | England | HB | Luton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Hugh Gallacher | Scotland | LH | Bristol Rovers | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Billy Gerrish | England | IF | Unattached | 17th | 8 August 1916(1916-08-08) (aged 31) | Delville Wood, France | — | |
| n/a | David Girdwood | n/a | FB | Chelsea | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Charles Green | England | RB | Millwall Athletic | 17th | 28 April 1917 (aged 35) | Oppy Wood, France | — | |
| Pte | Haydn Green | England | IR | Reading | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Alf Gregson | England | FW | Grimsby Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Albert Holmes | England | OL | Coventry City | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Henry Hogarth | England | HB | Burnley | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Percy Humphreys | England | IR | FC Basel (manager) | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Hunter | n/a | FW | Gainsborough Trinity | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Harry Iremonger | England | GK | Nottingham Forest | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | William Jonas | England | FW | Clapton Orient | 17th | 27 July 1916(1916-07-27) (aged 25) | Delville Wood, France | — | |
| Pte | Billy Jones | England | CF | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | David Kenny | Scotland | CH | Grimsby Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| — | Eddie King | England | RH | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | John Lamb | England | HB | The Wednesday | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Frank Lindley | England | OR | Luton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Oscar Linkson | England | FB | Shelbourne | 17th | 8 August 1916(1916-08-08) (aged 28) | Somme, France | — | |
| Pte | Tommy Lonsdale | England | GK | West Ham United | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Frank Martin | England | DF | Grimsby Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Tom McKenna | Ireland | FB | Grimsby Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Joe McLauchlan | Scotland | CF | Watford | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Billy Middleton | England | FW | Crystal Palace | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Arthur Mounteney | England | IF | Hinckley Athletic | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Archie Needham | England | U | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Thomas Newton | England | GK | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Wilf Nixon | England | GK | Fulham | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | John Nuttall | England | HB | Millwall Athletic | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | William Oliver | England | OL | Tottenham Hotspur | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Joseph Orme | England | GK | Millwall Athletic | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Alonzo Poulton | England | IR | West Bromwich Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Thomas Ratcliff | n/a | n/a | Woolwich Arsenal (trainer) | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Joseph Raw | n/a | FB | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Jumbo Reason | England | LB | Clapton Orient | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | William Reed | England | CF | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Stan Ripley | England | HB | Stoke City | 17th | 10 March 1917(1917-03-10) (aged 23–24) | Sunderland, England | — | |
| Pte | Hugh Roberts | Wales | OR | Luton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | George Robertson | Scotland | LH/IL | Birmingham | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Harry Robotham | England | RH | Retired | 23rd | 12 September 1916(1916-09-12) (aged 37) | Somme, France | — | |
| Pte | Fred Robson | England | FB | Southend United | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Charles Romain | England | U | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Peter Roney | Scotland | GK | Bristol Rovers | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Ralph Routledge | England | n/a | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Ernest Russ | n/a | n/a | Chelsea | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | George Scott | England | CH | Clapton Orient | 17th | 16 August 1916(1916-08-16) (aged 30) | Nord, France | — | |
| Pte | Angus Seed | England | RB | Leicester Fosse | 17th | — | — | MM | |
| Pte | Jackie Sheldon | England | OR | Liverpool | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Ernie Simms | England | CF | Luton Town | 17th, 23rd | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Cyril Smith | Wales | IL | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Frank Spencer | n/a | FB | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | John Stephenson | n/a | GK | Cardiff City | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | William Stephenson | England | RB | Wingate Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Alexander Stewart | Scotland | FB | Watford | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Percy Summers | England | GK | Grimsby Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Frank Taylor | n/a | n/a | Northampton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Arthur Tilley | England | OR | Clapton Orient | 17th, 23rd | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Albert Tomkins | England | HB/IF | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Alfred Tyler | England | OL | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Dick Upex | England | IL | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Joe Webster | England | GK | West Ham United | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Alf West | England | FB | Notts County | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Bob Whiting | England | GK | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | 28 April 1917(1917-04-28) (aged 34) | Oppy Wood, France | — | |
| Pte | Fred Whittaker | England | FW | Millwall Athletic | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | George Whitworth | England | CF | Northampton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Arthur Wileman | England | IR | Luton Town | 17th | 28 April 1918(1918-04-28) (aged 31–32) | West Flanders, Belgium | MM | [nb 18] [nb 20] |
| Pte | James Williams | Wales | FW | Millwall Athletic | 17th | 5 June 1916(1916-06-05) (aged 32) | Pas-de-Calais, France | — | |
| n/a | Skilly Williams | England | GK | Watford | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Ernest Williamson | England | GK | Croydon Common | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | T. T. Wilson | n/a | HB | Luton Town | 17th | — | — | — | |
| Pte | Jack Woodhouse | England | HB | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17th | — | — | — | |