In modern society, footballers take on many different roles and often speak out on important issues, from free school meals to the impacts of war. Football is inextricably linked to one of the world’s most devastating conflicts: the First World War.
Hundreds of players signed up to fight for their countries, with the 17th and 23rd Service Battalions of the Middlesex Regiment specifically becoming known as the ‘Football Battalions’. A number of players also enlisted elsewhere, and we often reimagine the spirit of football during the war through the Christmas Day truce, with tales of opposing armies putting down their weapons to play impromptu matches in no man’s land really capturing the spirit of the beautiful game at its very core.
Second Lieutenant Donald Simpson Bell was an English schoolteacher, professional footballer and the first and only English professional footballer to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award in Britain’s military system. We are honoured to have three of Bell’s medals, his Victoria Cross and memorial plaque, also known as a ‘Death Penny’, on loan to us as part of the Players Foundation collection.
Donald Simpson Bell was born in Harrogate on the 3rd of December 1890, and lived in Harrogate until he went to Westminster College, London, to train as a teacher. Whilst attending college Bell became a noted sportsman but above all a very promising footballer. He played as an amateur for Crystal Palace and later Newcastle, before returning home to Harrogate and becoming a teacher at Starbeck Council School. As many players often did in those days, Bell became a professional footballer to supplement his teaching salary, signing professional forms to join Bradford Park Avenue as a defender in 1912.
When the war broke out, Bell became the first professional footballer to enlist into the British Army, joining the West Yorkshire Regiment in 1914. He was soon promoted to Lance Corporal and then commissioned into the 9th Battalion, which went to France in November 1915. While on leave in June 1916, Bell married his sweetheart Rhoda Margaret Bonson before returning to the battalion. After initially being in reserve for the opening of the Battle of the Somme, Bell’s battalion were ordered into the front line on the 5thof July. It would be this day that led to him being awarded the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery.
Whilst a very heavy fire was opened on the battalion by a hostile machine gun, Bell rushed across the open and attacked the machine gun, shooting the operator with his revolver and destroying the gun and personnel with bombs. This act of sheer bravery saved many lives, yet when describing his actions in a letter to his parents, Bell stated that ‘I must confess that it was the biggest fluke alive and I did nothing. I only chucked one bomb, but it did the trick’. Sadly, Bell was killed in action while performing a very similar act of bravery a mere five days after being awarded the Victoria Cross.
Bell’s family were given a memorial plaque, also known as a Death Penny. These plaques were issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of the war. A total of 1,355,000 plaques were issued, and they came to be known as the ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ or ‘Widow’s Penny’ because of the superficial similarity to the much smaller penny coin.
It was decided that the design of the plaque was to be chosen from submissions made in a public competition. Over 800 designs were submitted, with the competition later being won by the sculptor and medallist Edward Carter Preston, who received two first place prizes of £250 for both his winning and also an alternative design. The winning design includes an image of Britannia holding a trident and standing with a lion that has the designer’s initials, E.CR.P., above its front paw.
In her outstretched left hand, Britannia holds an olive wreath above the tablet bearing the deceased’s name cast in raised letters. Below the name tablet is an oak spray with acorns. The name does not include the rank of the person since there was to be no distinction between the sacrifices made by different individuals. Two dolphins swim around Britannia, this symbolizing Britain’s great sea power, and at the bottom we can see a second lion tearing apart the German eagle.
Around the picture the legend states “He died for freedom and honour”, or on the 600 plaques issued to commemorate women, “She died for freedom and honour”.
Bell’s Victoria Cross is on display in our Match Gallery.
