7 minute read
Evelyn Lintott
from Dialogue 2016
OG. England Footballer. Soldier.
On Saturday 30 April 2016 a plaque was unveiled at Woking FC in memory of Evelyn Lintott OG, England footballer, teacher and soldier. In the approach to the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, the commemoration was organised by Club Chaplain Ian Nicholson OG 1974, and guests included members of the Army, RGS and the current Woking 1st X1 – representing the various aspects of Evelyn’s short life. The plaque honours Lintott, who perished at the Somme, and all those associated with the club who made the supreme sacrifice in both World Wars and other conflicts.
Early years and Woking
Evelyn Henry Lintott was born at Busbridge near Godalming, on 2 November 1883. The son of a local sheep dealer and one of eight children his family moved to Woking and eventually settled at The Grove, Horsell – about 100 yards from the site of the Cardinals’ first ground on Wheatsheaf Common. Evelyn was a pupil at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford and, upon graduation, became a physical training teacher at Maybury School in Walton Road, Woking. It was at the RGS and Woking FC that he served a football apprenticeship that would ultimately lead to him becoming an England international.
Evelyn made his Woking debut just two months after his 16th birthday. Starting as a forward, he was prolific in front of goal and is currently still ranked 20th in the all-time list of Woking goal scorers, bagging 66 goals in only 108 appearances. In 1903 he transferred to become a centre-half and soon showed skilful, robust football, exercising fine judgment in his tackling and distribution. Evelyn soon became the captain of the Woking team and played alongside four of his brothers – Stacey, Cuthbert, Morris and Keith. Lintott’s amateur career at Woking saw him win the Surrey Charity Shield twice, the East & West Surrey League and the West Surrey League. He also went on to represent Surrey on ten occasions between 1903 and 1905.
Unfortunately for Woking, in 1905, Evelyn Lintott went to Teacher Training College in Exeter and could then only play for the Cardinals on limited occasions. He played some games for Plymouth Argyle, captained Devon and then, on starting to teach in London, signed for Queens Park Rangers. This was not the end of Evelyn’s Woking career as he still turned out on two further occasions. By this time he had already made two England Amateur International appearances: a 6-1 win over Ireland at White Hart Lane and a 12-2 win over Holland at Darlington.
After nine seasons of association with Woking FC Evelyn’s last appearance saw him playing alongside his brother Stacey Lintott in a 1-0 win over Farncombe at a frozen Pembroke Road on 4 January 1908. This was just a week before Woking’s epic encounter with the mighty Bolton Wanderers in the first round of the FA Cup. Unfortunately Evelyn Lintott didn’t make an appearance for Woking the following Saturday at Burnden Park and the Cremators (as Woking were nicknamed at the time) were beaten – but not disgraced – 5-0 on the icy Lancashire turf by their Division One professional opponents.
National sporting hero and the PFA
Lintott made 35 appearances for Queens Park Rangers and helped them to the Southern League Championship and played in the replay of the first FA Charity Shield match. As a half back he became QPR’s first England international, winning five amateur and three full caps. Rangers had to wait over 60 years for their next England international, Rodney Marsh, in 1972.
Evelyn converted to professional to help out QPR’s finances so he could be sold to Bradford City, a club just promoted to what would be today’s Premier League, for over £1,000, which would be £1 million pounds in today’s terms. Lintott returned to teaching whilst playing. In all, he made 61 appearances and won a further four full England caps.
At this time the former Cardinal became heavily involved with the emerging Players’ Union, known today as the PFA. In 1910 he became the chairman of the organisation, whilst his eldest brother, Stacey, was the editor of the Union’s “Football Player Magazine”. As the mouthpiece for the PFA, Evelyn Lintott was forthright in his opinions and particularly upset about a newfangled introduction called the “Offside rule”. He recalled his Royal Grammar School and Woking amateur football roots when he argued that these tactics were contrary to the spirit of the game in forcing an opponent into a breach of the rules.
Evelyn was also well known and respected by the biggest star of Edwardian football, Billy Meredith. Lintott’s only appearance against Wales in 1908 lingered in Meredith’s memory as he recalled “I had a liking for Lintott both as a man when he was chairman of the Players’ Union, and as a player.” In this International Lintott was told not to give Meredith a yard of room and he carried out his orders so loyally that, late in the game, Meredith turned to his tormentor and said; “For God’s sake, go away. England have got seven goals. How many more do you want?” ´
Woking FC 1903. Evelyn Lintott back row, third from left.
Lintott moved on to a new club Leeds City in June 1912 and made 45 appearances at Elland Road as war clouds began to gather over Europe.
The Leeds Pals and the Great War
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Lintott enlisted with the 15th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own) – the “Leeds Pals”. Interviewed by the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said that he believed he was the only professional footballer so far who had decided to join up. He added that “there had been a great deal of talk about players not enlisting, but I am of the opinion that, with some encouragement from clubs, about half-a-dozen players from each club would enlist”.
The Surrey man joined the Pals as a Private, but was soon promoted to Sergeant because of his experience with the training corps whilst at college. Most people thought that the War would be “over by Christmas” and the general idea of a Pals Battalion was that the volunteers would serve with friends, relatives, workmates and colleagues, giving a feeling of comradeship that had never been seen before. The recruiting in Leeds had been particularly vigorous and on one occasion the recruiting team took a trip to Elland Road where Lintott’s Leeds City were playing Fulham; in half an hour 200 young men had signed up to fight. The final number of “Leeds Pals” eventually rose to approximately 2,000.
Sergeant Lintott set off in an advance party of 105 men on 23 September 1914 while, two days later, over 20,000 citizens of Leeds gave the rest of the battalion a rousing send-off from Leeds station en route to Masham and training in the Dales. Evelyn Lintott’s sporting and leadership skills were soon spotted, and a commission in the Sportsmen’s Battalion was planned. However, his superiors persuaded him to stay with the Leeds Pals and on 18 December 1914 it was announced that Evelyn was to become a Lieutenant – the first professional footballer to gain a commission.
Lintott’s battalion departed Liverpool for Port Said on the Empress of Britain to reinforce the British defences on the Suez Canal. By late February 1916 the threat of invasion along Suez had decreased to such an extent that after three months of sun, sand, and a few minor skirmishes, the Battalion gathered up their equipment and stores and began their fateful journey to France.
The Somme and Lintott’s death
A letter to the Yorkshire Post describes the final moments of 32-year-old Lt. Evelyn Henry Lintott and Yorkshire County cricketer Lt. Major Booth:
He led his men with great dash and when hit the first time declined to take the count. Instead, he drew his revolver and called for further effort. Again he was hit but struggled on, a third shot finally bowled him over. Lt. Booth too, though in sore agony from a shell fragment which penetrated the shoulder and must have touched the heart, tried his utmost to go forward, but pitched forward helplessly after a few yards.
They went out to almost certain death with the cry “Now Leeds” on their lips.”
Evelyn Henry Lintott’s name can be found inscribed on the Thiepval monument in France alongside 73,356 other men killed at the Battle of the Somme whose bodies have never been found or identified. His name is also on the memorial in Big School, above his brother Keith who also perished in that conflict.
Written by Ian Nicholson OG 1974
