rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Aug 3, 2014 12:00:07 GMT
Does anyone know if we have looked at him before. Don't think he has a Torquay connection but was the first professional footballer to volunteer in 1914 and apparently the only one to win a VC which was for action on 5 July 1916 before being killed on 10 July 1916 basically for trying the same thing again. Just interested with the centenary of WWI now here! Think he was in the Yorkshire regiment.
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Post by alisons on Aug 4, 2014 12:16:40 GMT
I don't think Donald Bell was the first to volunteer (despite what is written on the PFA site!) I know of at least two pro footballers who were in France before the end of 1914. As they had both previous territorial service they would have been sent out quite quickly. I will double check about Bell though.
However, if you looked into the team sheets for the three teams that emerged as Torquay United you will probably find a large number of players who had served during WW1. There were probably players from pre 1921 who joined up and didn't return.
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Aug 4, 2014 23:23:40 GMT
I don't think Donald Bell was the first to volunteer (despite what is written on the PFA site!) I know of at least two pro footballers who were in France before the end of 1914. As they had both previous territorial service they would have been sent out quite quickly. I will double check about Bell though. I too am pretty sure that the Bell "fact" falls within the 87.3% rather than the 12.7%. For a local connection, how about Evelyn Lintott? He joined up within a month of war breaking out. He had played for Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle and alongside Gerry Deane for East Devon. Remarkably, he once played an East Devon Senior League game for St Luke's College on a Saturday and a full international for England against Wales two days later! Yorkshire Evening Post 5 September 1914:  Sadly, he never did return to settle the matter of his re-engagement with Leeds City. |
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