Football Battalions

["Deeply researched and drawing on new archival material, this will be the first major exploration of this remarkable army battalion.","As he did with Don Revie<\/i>, the author is keen bringing a campaigning element to the publicity push.","The book has an unmistakable flavour of the bestselling Ben Macintyre.","A follow-up title to the strong-selling Quiet Genius<\/i> and Don Revie: The Biography.<\/i>","Christopher Evans<\/b> is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Caerphilly having been an MP continually since 2010. His first book, Fearless Freddie: The Life and Times of Freddie Mills<\/i> was published in 2017 and shortlisted for The Times <\/i>Biography of the Year at the 2018 Sports Book Awards. He also wrote the acclaimed Don Revie: The Biography<\/i> which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times<\/i> Sports Book Awards 2022. He recently became a Commissioner for the Commonwealth War Graves. @Chris_EvansMP","

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'A brilliant book' <\/b>- Kevin Day

'An extraordinary story' <\/b>- David Williamson, Chief Political Commentator at the Daily Express<\/i>

THE POIGNANT STORY OF HOW PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS WENT TO WAR<\/b>

1914. Britain is slowly becoming football-obsessed: players are becoming household names, attendance is increasing and George V attends the FA Cup Final in May. Then the war breaks out.

In this fascinating work, equal parts footballing and military history, Christopher Evans explores how, once the war began, footballers were put under immense pressure to sign up, resulting in the formation of Football Battalions in England and Scotland. He recounts the wartime exploits of the leading footballers of the day. Some would return to leave their mark on the game; some would fade into obscurity; and some would never make it back.

Among them are Vivian Woodward, an Olympic gold medallist and football's first superstar; Frank Buckley, who would emerge from the war a hero and go on to redefine the role of a football manager; and Walter Tull, Tottenham and Northampton hero, who faced racism both on the football field and battlefield before becoming the first Black man to win a commission and command a unit in the British Army.

Drawing on archival material, this is a captivating exploration of the elite footballers who went to war.<\/p>","The poignant story of how professional footballers went to war<\/b>","

Introduction
1. Pressure! The world tries to shame football
2. Formation: Football does its bit
3. Hearts: Scottish football responds to the war
4. Vivian Woodward: The journey of a polymath
5. Steve Bloomer: A superstar goes to Germany
6. Cup Final!: A subdued event
7. Fix!: A Lancashire betting scandal
8. Orders: The battalion make their way to France
9. Winners: Morale-boosting games
10. Walter Tull: Leaving the field
11. Evelyn Lintott: A teacher on the Somme
12. Brothers: Jonas and McFadden
13. Frank Buckley: The Major
14. Munitionettes: The war on the home front
15. John McCartney: Forever Hearts
16. Joe Mercer: The hard man did not break
17. Alaistair McReady-Drew: Conspicuous Bravery
18. Bookends: The different worlds of Alan Haig-Brown and Walter Tull
19. Reunion: All that is left behind
Afterword: Why We Remember
Acknowledgements<\/p>","Chris Evans, a commitment politician if ever there was one, brings the same devotion to his love affair with football as he did to his Welsh constituents and his work in Parliament. Those two passions are brilliantly interwoven in his latest book about the game which unifies our kingdom and its special importance in the dark years of world war<\/b>. Cherish the rare insights. <\/b>","Chris Evans has found a fascinating angle on the First World War<\/b> that both highlight the tragic waste of talent taken in battle and the triumph of the human spirit to rise above the trenches and maintain an ambition for a life of sporting success not slaughter.","Chris Evans puts the spotlight on the extraordinary story <\/b>of how well-loved footballers from across Britain left their clubs behind and together fought for their country. His passion for football and his deep knowledge of the internal politics of the sport is matched with true respect for those who swapped the pitch for the frontline.<\/b> He paints vivid portraits of these sportsmen turned soldiers who answered duty’s call at a time when both the game and the world were about to change beyond recognition. The reader is left humbled by the courage and sacrifice of these most patriotic of sportsmen.<\/b>","A brilliant book<\/b> … a heart-breaking, inspiring and often funny story of remarkable footballers<\/b> ... Nowadays a footballer is hailed as a hero if he dives for a header. These footballers were actual heroes and real people, brilliantly brought to life in these pages<\/b>"," Superbly written, expertly weaving together football and military history<\/b>","A powerful and poignant reminder of how The Great War touched every inch of society <\/b>","An in-depth journey of how our national game played its own unique role in the First World War<\/b>","The poignant story of how professional footballers went to war<\/b>"]