A life overcoming prejudice and discrimination W
To mark Remembrance Sunday tomorrow (13 November) the War Cry takes a look at the life of Walter Tull, a footballer who became one of the first black officers during the First World War Feature by Emily Bright Walter’s father passed away from heart disease. Walter’s stepmother took care of him, his four siblings and his stepsister but, overwhelmed by the scale of the task, she made arrangements for Walter and his brother Edward to be admitted to a children’s home in London, where they were provided with a basic education and
taught a trade. The home also promoted a lively, thoughtful, disciplined and socially engaged approach to Christian faith, belief and lifestyle. Nairobi, a poet and writer who has looked into Walter’s life, gives an insight into how his upbringing may have shaped his Christian faith. ‘I believe Walter lived out his faith in
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
ALTER TULL. It may not be a name that is familiar to many, but his is a story that his family and poet Nairobi Thompson believe should be told. As one of the first black outfield players in UK professional football and one of the first black officers to command white men in combat during the First World War, Walter achieved great success and was recommended for the Military Cross. Walter was born in Folkestone, Kent, in 1888 to a Barbadian father and English mother. His family were devoutly Christian and were active in the work of the church and community. But Walter had a tough start in life, as he lost his mother to cancer when he was only seven years old. A year later his father remarried. Then, in 1897,
Walter played for Tottenham Hotspur 6 • WAR CRY • 12 November 2022
