‘He was brave and conscientious’

A life overcoming prejudice and discrimination

WALTER 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,

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

Walter Tull served in the First World War

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

his determination, pursuit of excellence and refusal to be bullied because he was black or mixed heritage,’ she says. ‘I think that he drew from his faith in a way that enabled him to overcome adversity.’

While at the orphanage, Walter developed not only his Christian faith, but also a talent for football. He was spotted and signed while still young.

Nairobi explains: ‘He was one of the first mixed heritage outfield footballers. He played at the highest level as a teenager at Clapton FC and joined Tottenham Hotspur when he was 21 years old. He was described as the team’s brainiest forward, so clean in mind and method as to be a model for all white men who play football.’ Despite his exceptional talent, Walter was racially abused on the pitch by opposing fans in a game in October 1909. This incident was recorded in the Football Star newspaper, which described them using language that was ‘lower than Billingsgate’. At the time Billingsgate, the

fish market, was notorious for profanity and offensive language. Nairobi says: ‘After the game, the headline was, “Football and the colour prejudice”. The account emphasises He was described as the how Walter remained professional and composed, despite the intense team’s brainiest forward provocation. But he was still then dropped – it was like they didn’t know how to deal with racism – and he ended up at Northampton Town.’ Walter played 110 games for the Cobblers until armed conflict interrupted

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Nairobi Thompson

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his footballing career. At the outbreak of the First World War he was the first member of the Northampton senior team to enlist in the 17th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, known as the ‘Football Battalion’. Once again he challenged the racist norms of the time with his exceptional talent.

‘Walter transcended racist military rules to become one of the first black combat officers in the British Army,’ says Nairobi. ‘The manual of military law 1914 stated quite clearly that officer commissions were given to qualified candidates who were natural born or naturalised British subjects of pure European descent.

‘Yet Walter’s level of competence was so high that it meant that it would have been a madness to not rely on his very clear leadership strengths, intelligence and that capacity to engage others. As a fine leader of men, he was commissioned as an officer in May 1917.’

Walter rose through the ranks to become second lieutenant, showing courageous and effective leadership time and again, as Nairobi explains: ‘He fought in six battles, and while on the front line in Italy, he twice led men on perilous night raids behind enemy lines. Both times he returned without casualties. He was cited in a letter for his gallantry and his coolness under fire by Major General Sir Sydney Lawford, which may have led to the recommendation for Walter to be awarded the Military Cross.’

But like many men of that generation, his life was cruelly cut short by the war. Walter was killed in action on 25 March 1918, aged just 29, during the Second Battle of the Somme. His loss was felt keenly, not only by his family, but also by those he served with.

‘Walter was such a popular officer that his men tried to rescue him and to recover his body under heavy machinegun fire, but without success,’ says Nairobi. ‘We know that he was really popular, because of a letter written to Edward, Walter’s brother, from Second Lieutenant Pickard on 17 April 1918.’

In the letter, Second Lieutenant Pickard writes: ‘Being at present in command … allow me to say how popular he was throughout the battalion. He was brave and conscientious. He had been recommended for the Military Cross and had certainly earned it, the commanding officer had every confidence in him, and he was liked by the men. Now he has paid the supreme sacrifice; the battalion and company have lost a faithful officer; personally, I have lost a friend. Can I say more, except that I hope that those who remain may be true and faithful as he.’

Looking at Walter’s life, Nairobi sees ‘indicators of his faith’ in the way that other people referred to him and in the way in which he lived. ‘He was a man who refused to walk away from the things he believed he could do,’ she says. ‘Intellectual, political Walter’s and social arguments were silenced by his conduct and by his achievements.’ achievements The Walter Tull Archive, which is run by his extended family members and suggest great seeks to preserve his memory, tells me: ‘Walter’s achievements, in his short life, resilience suggest a person of great resilience and determination. Despite facing great adversity in life, he overcame prejudice and discrimination and set an example through his character and behaviour. ‘From our perspective as a family, we believe that his faith continued to be important to him throughout his life and influenced that character and behaviour.’