When the Whistle Blows: The Story of the Footballers’ Battalion in the Great War by Andrew Riddoch & John Kemp soon to be presented for sale on the inspired BookLovers of Bath web site!
Published: Sparkford: Haynes Publishing, 2008, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Contains: Black & white photographs; Facsimiles; Chronological tables [1]; Maps; Tables; Plans;
From the cover: When the Whistle Blows is the first book to tell the story of the 17th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment the Footballers Battalion and their experiences on the pitch and in the trenches of the Great War.
Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, a heated debate took place about the continuation of professional football during a time of national crisis. In response to claims that footballers were not doing their bit, William Joynson-Hicks MP raised the Footballers Battalion in December 1914 with some 35 professional players enlisting at the inaugural meeting in Fulham Town Hall. Professional footballers, with connections to over 70 present-day League clubs, lost little time in following their lead, the Battalion being brought up to strength by amateur players, officials and football fans eager to serve alongside their favourite players.
Based on extensive original research, Andrew Riddoch and John Kemp draw on many previously unpublished letters, personal accounts and photographs to paint a vivid portrait of a remarkable battalion that fought in some of the fiercest battles of the Great War. The result is a book that is a significant addition to the literature of football and that of the Great War.
Introduction by: Richard Holmes
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.
Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [4] 336 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¼”.
Of course, if you don’t like this one, may I spellbind you with a further miscellany curated within Military History catalogue?
BookLovers of Bath 