Eddie Latheron Edwin Gladstone " Eddie " Latheron ( 1887 – 14 October 1917 ) was an English footballer who played as an inside forward for Blackburn Rovers , helping them to win the Football League title in 1912 and 1914 . He also made two appearances for England in 1913 and 1914 . He was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I . Playing career . Latheron was born at Carlin How , near Middlesbrough and after playing for South Bank Corinthians he joined Grangetown Athletic , playing in the Northern League . He was discovered by Blackburn Rovers in 1906 playing for Grangetown against Blackburn Crosshill in an FA Amateur Cup tie . Rovers had originally gone to watch another player but it was Latheron who caught their eye and Rovers ' manager Robert Middleton paid £25 to bring him to Ewood Park . Despite his lack of height , he was masterful in the air and possessed excellent ball control and a fine shot . A prolific goal scorer , but unselfish team player , he quickly established himself as a fan ' s favourite and , due to his complexion and red hair , Latheron was known affectionately as " Pinkie " on the terraces . Latheron soon became a regular selection at inside - left and in 1907 – 08 he was joint top scorer with nine goals from 27 appearances as Rovers struggled , finishing in 14th place in the table . The following season , Middleton appointed Bob Holmes , the former Preston North End star as trainer . This appointment had a great impact on the team as they obtain fourth place in the table , with Latheron scoring ten goals . Blackburn continued their good form the following season and by October 1909 they became leaders of the First Division . They lost their position in January 1910 and finally finished in third place behind Aston Villa and Liverpool with Latheron again scoring ten goals . In 1910 – 11 , Blackburn struggled away from home , with only one win , and , although they won 12 games at home , they could only finish in mid - table . They did , however , have a good run in the FA Cup , reaching the FA Cup semi - finals where they went down 3 – 0 to eventual winners Bradford City ; Latheron scored three goals in the cup run , including two against Southend United in the first round . The 1911 – 12 season began badly with Blackburn Rovers losing two of the first three games . Blackburn ' s form gradually improved and the team went on an unbeaten run that lasted three months , which took them to the top of the league . Despite being defeated by Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal , Blackburn went on another good run and by the end of the season they had three more points than main challengers , Everton . This was Blackburn ' s first Football League title . Despite missing a substantial part of the season through injury , Latheron was one of the stars of the team , contributing seven goals , including vital goals against Everton and Oldham Athletic in the final weeks of the season . Blackburn started the 1912 – 13 season very well and were undefeated until December , but there then came a run of five successive defeats . In an attempt to regain the championship , Middleton broke the British transfer record by buying Danny Shea from West Ham United for £2 , 000 . Shea ' s twelve goals were not enough and Blackburn finished fifth that season , with Latheron the club ' s top scorer on 14 . His form earned him a call up to the England team for the British Home Championship match against Wales played at Ashton Gate , Bristol on 17 March 1913 , when he was joined by his Rovers team - mates , Bob Crompton , Joseph Hodkinson and Billy Bradshaw . Latheron scored England ' s second goal in a 4 – 3 victory . His second international appearance came at Ayresome Park , Middlesbrough the following February , in a 3 – 0 defeat by Ireland with two goals from Liverpool ' s Bill Lacey as Ireland claimed the British Home Championship outright for the first time . In the league , Rovers took the Football League title for the second time in 1913 – 14 with a seven - point margin over Aston Villa , thanks in no small part to Danny Shea ' s 27 goals with Latheron contributing 13 . Despite the outbreak of the First World War , league football continued in England for a further season , and in 1914 – 15 , Blackburn finished in third place behind Everton and Oldham Athletic . Rovers scored 83 league goals in the season , with top scorer Percy Dawson on 20 goals , with Latheron scoring 17 . In his nine league seasons at Ewood Park , Latheron played 258 games , scoring 94 goals . For the 1915 – 16 season , Latheron was one of several Blackburn Rovers players who guested for Blackpool , for whom he was top scorer with 16 goals in wartime leagues . Latheron returned to Blackburn for the 1916 – 17 season and played his final game for Blackburn Rovers on 17 March 1917 . Including wartime matches , Latheron made a total of 303 appearances for Blackburn , scoring 120 goals . Death and memorial . After the cessation of League football , Latheron enlisted , joining the Royal Field Artillery as a gunner , and within a week of his last match for Blackburn Rovers , he was at the Front . He was killed on 14 October 1917 , aged 29 at the Battle of Passchendaele , and was buried in the military cemetery at Vlamertinghe near to the town of Ypres , Belgium . He left behind a widow , Bertha , and a son , Walter . In October 2007 , a group of Belgian fans of Blackburn Rovers honoured the 90th anniversary of Latheron ' s death by a ceremony at his grave .