# data[].attributes.body
Football Commentary from a munitionettes match.

# data[].attributes.body
Clip from the museum's talk all about pioneer Walter Tull

# data[].attributes.body
Make your own Trench Football WW1 Propaganda Game (template to print below)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Make Your Own Trench Football Marble Run | Football Craft Activities

# data[].attributes.body
Template of National Football Museum craft activity.

# data[].attributes.headline
Woodland Trust & National Football Museum's Centenary Wood Project

# data[].attributes.subject
Woodland Trust & National Football Museum's Centenary Wood Project

# data[].attributes.headline
Donald Simpson Bell - NFM War Poem Activity 

# data[].attributes.subject
Donald Simpson Bell - NFM War Poem Activity 

# data[].attributes.body
Guardian feature on Walter Tull with footballer Nick Blackman.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'He set a path for every black professional footballer': Nick Blackman on Walter Tull

# data[].attributes.body
Archive footage of Footballers Battalion from 1915.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Footballers Battalion 1915   First World War  BFI National Archive

# data[].attributes.body
As part of commemorations of the centenary of the first world war

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The first black officer in the British Army will be remembered on a special set of coins released by the Royal Mint as part of commemorations of the centenary of the first world war.

Kent-born Walter Tull, who was promoted to officer rank during the war despite a ban on black officers, died in battle in 1918.

Tull was also one of the first black footballers to play at the highest level in the UK, appearing for Tottenham before moving to Northampton Town, where he is commemorated with a statue.

Campaigners, including the former Tottenham player Garth Crooks, petitioned the government last year to posthumously award Tull a Military Cross for his heroism.

He fought on the Somme in 1916 and became the first black combat officer in the British army, despite a military rule excluding "negroes" from exercising actual command. Tull was cited for "gallantry and coolness" for leading his company of 26 men to safety in Italy, but returned to northern France where he was killed in March 1918.

The coin, featuring a portrait of the officer with a backdrop of infantry soldiers going "over the top", will be one of a set of six £5 coins to remember the sacrifice made by so many during the war.

Other coins in the first set, released as part of a five-year programme of remembrance, include those depicting the first troops leaving for France, those working on the Home Front, a celebration of the Royal Navy, the role of propaganda during the war and the impact of war on technological developments.

Each year until 2018 another set of six coins will be released, covering key battles and the stories of individual heroes of the time, with the final set focusing on the armistice and legacy of the war.

Shane Bissett, the Royal Mint's director of commemorative coin, medals and bullion, said the coins would capture "the emotive journey from outbreak to armistice".

Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: "The war years exposed the very best and worst of human nature and our intention is for the collection to evolve over the coming years to reflect that duality, while exploring topics as diverse as propaganda and weaponry, as well as the great bravery of ordinary people who went on to perform extraordinary acts, as represented by figures like Walter Tull."

Each set comes with information explaining the theme, design and artist behind the coins.
Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British army, to feature on £5 coin

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The first black officer in the British Army will be remembered on a special set of coins released by the Royal Mint as part of commemorations of the centenary of the first world war. Kent-born Walter Tull, who was promoted to officer rank during the war despite a ban on black officers, died in battle in 1918.

# data[].attributes.body
Schools resource on the lift of Walter Tull, includes a short animation and teacher notes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Walter Tull was a British footballer and soldier who was born in 1888 and died in 1918. He was also the first black officer to lead white British soldiers in battle.

Walter Tull was one of many brave soldiers who fought and was killed in World War One. Walter's father was black and he came to Britain from the West Indies.

Walter's grandfather had been a slave - someone who is not free and is made to work for an owner. Walter's mother was white and she was from Kent, in the south of England.

Troubled upbringing

Walter had to overcome setbacks in his life. His parents died when he was still a child and he was brought up in a children's home.

He still had a family, but he had to make his own way in the world. He had to give up a football career to become a soldier.

Walter became one of the first black footballers in Britain. He was only the second professional black player in the Football League. He played football for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town.

From footballer to officer

When the war began in 1914, Walter had to give up football to be a soldier. He joined the British Army. Walter was a good soldier, and was soon promoted.

He was made an officer, though officially black soldiers were barred from becoming officers in the British Army at this time. Walter fought in Italy and France. He was killed during a battle in 1918.

Walter was an example to others while he was alive, and he remains a role model for us today.

Teachers' notes

Teachers' notes and classroom ideas looking at the life and death of Walter Tull.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Walter Tull was a British footballer and soldier who was born in 1888 and died in 1918. He was also the first black officer to lead white British soldiers in battle. Walter Tull was one of many brave soldiers who fought and was killed in World War One.

# data[].attributes.body
Research more about individuals players who fought in WW1 and discover archive resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"I knew nothing of professional footballers when I took over this Battalion. But I have learnt to value them. I would go anywhere with such men. Their esprit de corps was amazing. This feeling was mainly due to football - the link of fellowship which bound them together.
Football has a wonderful grip on these men and on the Army generally."
COLONEL H.T. FENWICK
Commanding Officer of the 17th (Service) Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (1915-17)

Football and the First World War uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the website you are agreeing to its use of cookies. Accept Read More

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"I knew nothing of professional footballers when I took over this Battalion. But I have learnt to value them. I would go anywhere with such men. Their esprit de corps was amazing. This feeling was mainly due to football - the link of fellowship which bound them together.

# data[].attributes.body
Animation focussing on Walter Tull's role in WW1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover the life of Walter Tull, and follow his journey through as a black soldier fighting in the British Army during the First World War.

# data[].attributes.headline
Tim Godden's Footballers of the Great War Illustrations 

# data[].attributes.subject
Tim Godden's Footballers of the Great War Illustrations 

# data[].attributes.body
As featured in the museum's Greater Game presentation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Numbers 6-10 in my Footballers of the Great War Series. This series was started as part of the #SoccerSeptember initiative on twitter and aims to...

# data[].attributes.headline
Donald Bell: The first footballer to earn the VC

# data[].attributes.subject
Donald Bell: The first footballer to earn the VC

# data[].attributes.body
BBC article on Donald Simpson Bell.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Donald Simpson Bell was an "outstanding" footballer but left it behind to join up when World War One started. He used his athleticism to save many lives when he knocked out a machine-gun post but was killed a few days later when he attempted similar heroics once more. He became the only professional footballer to be awarded a Victoria Cross during the conflict.

When World War One broke out, Donald Bell was playing football for Bradford Park Avenue.

He was a talented all-rounder but chose football after working as a teacher. He signed as a professional for the Yorkshire team having played as an amateur for Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Bishop Auckland.

In 1914, he wrote to the directors at Bradford: "I have given the subject very serious consideration and have now come to the conclusion I am duty-bound to join the ranks."

According to the Professional Footballer's Association, Bell was an "outstanding player who would surely have graced the international arena".

On 5 July, the fifth day of the Battle of the Somme, 2nd Lt Bell, who was from Harrogate, was advancing with his comrades along the 1.4km-long Horseshoe Trench near La Boiselle.

He and his fellows from 9th Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, the Green Howards, found their way barred by a German machine-gun.

It was the "biggest fluke alive" according to Bell but his actions shortly after 18:00 that day saved hundreds of his colleagues.

As the gun fired heavily on his fellow fighters, Bell and two others - Cpl Colwill and Pte Batey - crept along a communication trench before darting across open ground to get to the crew manning the weapon.

Bell shot the gunner with his revolver and a series of well-thrown bombs won the position for the British.

"I only chucked one bomb," Bell wrote to his mother, "but it did the trick."

In a letter to his sister Nancy, he wrote: "I was lucky enough to knock out a machine-gun which was causing the lads some bother."

The citation for his VC read: "This very brave act saved many lives and ensured the success of the attack."

His battalion's attack on the German trench had started well according to Stephen Erskine, curator of the Green Howard's Museum in Richmond, with more than 140 prisoners and two machine-guns captured.

"But other machine-guns then began to fire heavily on the battalion," he said.

"At this point the individual initiative of Bell kicks in.

"He, as an athlete, picks up bombs and runs across open ground exposing himself to German fire and attacks the machine-gun that's devastating the battalion.

"He recognises that 'if I don't do something here this is going to fail; not only is it going to fail in terms of us taking the ground, an awful lot of men are going to be killed by this machine-gun if I don't do something about it'."

The Germans were "suddenly very scared" to see a "crazy Englishman" running at them, Mr Erskine said.

"It's great sitting behind a machine-gun because you are doing your job at a huge distance.

"But when these guys actually get through that fire and are in your face it is a totally different story.

"They would have been horrified and stunned to see someone with the audacity to come leaping over a trench and No Man's Land and start throwing bombs and taking pistol shots at them.

"Unbelievably, on 10 July he does exactly the same thing again only this time they get him before he gets them."

On 10 July 1916, Bell joined the 8th battalion for another attack on a trench. At the age of 25 he was killed making a similar attempt on another gun placement at Contalmaison.

"When leading a bombing attack he received a bullet through the crown of his helmet which did not prevent him carrying on for another 20 minutes or more, during which time shell splinters cut through his helmet and damaged the front of his tunic without wounding him," wrote Bell's brother Cpl William Bell.

"Finally, a large shell splinter entered his body through the shoulder and proved fatal."

Bell would have known he was pushing his luck too far on the second attack, Mr Erskine said.

"At the end of that first action he knows 'I got away with something there, I was pushing my luck'.

"So really the second time he does it he must know 'what's the chances of me getting away with it twice?'

"And yet he still does it."

His death was keenly felt by his family, pupils and comrades-in-arms according to historian Richard Leake, author of A Breed Apart which is the story of Bell and another VC winner Archie White.

It was announced on 8 September 1916 that Bell had been awarded the VC.

"The action which earned him the VC was one of unflinching courage and by that noble deed he saved many lives and assured the success of that attack," wrote Maj HAS Prior, commanding officer of Bell's battalion, to his family.

Another comrade of Bell's wrote: "He had the courage of a lion and always seemed to be on the lookout for ways and means of making things easier for his comrades.

"His death was greatly deplored, though grief was qualified by pride in the fact that he had met the death he would have wished."

"He was a teacher and footballer but he was also one of those miniscule percentages of people who have within themselves the capacity to do something incredible," Mr Erskine said.

"You've got an awful lot of people walking on this planet today because of what Donald Bell did, never mind the bravery of that action on that day, the consequence wasn't just that he saved those men but he saved their children and grandchildren as well."

"Typical of the man, he gave up any chances of personal glory on the football field for the honour of fighting for his country," said Mick McGuire, assistant chief executive of the PFA said in 2000 when unveiling a memorial to Bell at Contalmaison.

"Donald was a marvellous man, a great credit to our country and a great credit to our game."

The Battle of the Somme

Began on 1 July 1916 and was fought along a 15-mile front near the River Somme in northern France

19,240 British soldiers died on the first day - the bloodiest day in the history of the British army

The British captured just three square miles of territory on the first day

At the end of hostilities, five months later, the British had advanced just seven miles and failed to break the German defence

In total, there were over a million dead and wounded on all sides, including 420,000 British, about 200,000 from France and an estimated 465,000 from Germany

Find out more:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Donald Simpson Bell was an "outstanding" footballer but left it behind to join up when World War One started. He used his athleticism to save many lives when he knocked out a machine-gun post but was killed a few days later when he attempted similar heroics once more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BBC4 doc Walter Tull Forgotten Hero first 15mins.mov

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
First 15 mins of BBC4 doc Walter Tull Forgotten Hero Sign the e-petition for Walter to be awarded his Military Cross at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/41209

# data[].attributes.body
Horrible Histories take on the Christmas Truce.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
CBBC: Horrible Histories - WW1 England vs Germany football match

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Footballers Battalion Recruiting Poster (2)

# data[].attributes.headline
British Council - Footballers who served in First World War

# data[].attributes.subject
British Council - Footballers who served in First World War

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Football Remembers Activity 4 English and Drama - footballers in the war

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
1916. A handmade football net is setup by soldiers

# data[].attributes.headline
British Council - 1914 Christmas Truce Activity Pack

# data[].attributes.subject
British Council - 1914 Christmas Truce Activity Pack