Clapton's Khaki Team (1915)

In this Topical Budget newsreel we see Clapton Orient football team - based in East London, and rechristened Leyton Orient following WWII - in action. After playing their last match of the season, ten of the Orients players join the Footballer's Battalion. This was the affectionate term for the 17th Middlesex Regiment during WWI, which famously comprised many professional footballers.

For more information about Topical Budget newsreels, visit:
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/583128/

You can watch over 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge in the Mediatheque at BFI Southbank, London and from October 2008 at the new QUAD centre for art and film in Derby -- http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/bfi-mediatheque

For information about the BBC Learning campaign 1918-2008: Ninety Years of Remembrance, marking the 90th anniversary of Armistice, visit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/remembrance

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• BFI
• WWI
• first
• world
• war
• football
• match
• soccer
• topical
• budget
• clapton
• orient
• leyton
• battalion
• middlesex
• regiment
• remembrance

[EssexBoy696969]

ORIENT HEROES & LEGENDS.

Another reason why I ADORE this football club; and will support them until the day I die.

Premiership 'armchair fans' just wouldn't understand the passion of our supporters.

[itarare]

O filme mostra mais a banda passando do que o jogo, mas valeu...

[tolkny]

Wow, Thankyou very much for finding and posting this. Fantastic

[Flare68]

Last game of the 1914-15 season would make this a 2-0 victory over Leicester City

[ChadwellO]

This fantastic footage shows the aftermatch farewell parade by the17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment - 'the Footballers' Battalion. In total 41 Clapton Orient footballers and staff joined up into the 17th to serve King and country. The O's were the first Football League club to join up 'en masse'.

The ten Clapton Orient footballers that signed up on the day took part in the parade, having immediately changed out of their famous red chevron shirts and blue shorts into khaki uniforms.

[doverstraits]

Anyone know the battalion marching?

[PeerlessPaavo]

Great information. Thanks.

[ChadwellO]

The three players are not shown coming on to the pitch. Several of those seen can be identified however - the first one seen is the O's captain and the first player in the whole country to join up into the 17th Middlesex - Fred 'Spider' Parker, the third one is the Orient 'keeper Jimmy Hugall who was wounded twice and yet came back to play football after the war. The last player is Nolan 'Peggy' Evans. Evans was severely wounded during the fighting in Devilles Wood.

[PeerlessPaavo]

ChadwellO, is it possible to identify the three fallen footballers you mention in the early sequence when they're running onto the pitch?

[ChadwellO]

Richard McFadden 23 October 1916

William Jonas 27 July 1916

George Scott 16 August 1916

We Will Remember Them