Roll of Honour

Born in Jump, West Yorkshire, in 1889.

Died on 18th October 1914.

Larrett Roebuck joined Town from Silverwood Colliery in 1913, managing only a handful of appearances in blue and white stripes before the outbreak of the First World War. Having been called up to the Army and sent to France, Roebuck was one of forty men listed as killed or missing in action near Beacamps-Ligny following an attack on an enemy position. He was the first player from the Football League to lose his life in the war.

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019)

Born in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, in 1888. 

Died on 1st July 1916.

Henry Cyril Crozier played for Town’s reserve team during the period 1911-1914. At the outbreak of war, Crozier enlisted with the ‘Sheffield Pals’, becoming a sergeant and then musketry instructor. He was killed on the first day of the Somme offensive. 

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Bearpark, County Durham, in 1884.

Died on 27th September 1916.

Charles Edward Randall played for Town during the first two years of the club’s existence (1908-1910). When the United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 4th August, 1914, Randall was on the books of North Shields Athletic. He died in action just a little over two years later. He is buried at Dantzig Alley British Cemetery in Mametz. 

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019)

Born in Holt, Wales, in 1877.

Died on 7th October 1916.

Leigh Richmond Roose was a goalkeeper who played for 15 clubs during a long and distinguished career, turning out for Town on 5 occasions in 1910. During the First World War, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in France and Gallipoli, and was awarded the Military Medal on 21st September, 1916, for bravery in the face of enemy fire. Roose died a month later at the Battle of the Somme. His name appears on the war memorial to missing soldiers at Thiepval. 

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019); Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Sheffield, West Yorkshire, in 1891.

Died on 9th April 1917.

Sidney James was a centre-half who signed for Town in the winter of 1913. His time at the club was cut short by the First World War, in which served, eventually attaining the rank of lance corporal. James was killed in action in France in 1917. He is buried at the Cojuel British Cemetery in Pas-de-Calais. 

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019); Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Matlock, Derbyshire, in 1888.

Died on 10th November 1917.

Ernest George Kenworthy made 20 appearances for Town during the 1909-10 season, scoring six goals. At the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, Kenworthy was an assistant headmaster. He joined the Army in 1916 and was killed in action in November 1917. He is buried in Coxyde Military Cemetery on the Belgian coast. 

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019)

Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 1886.

Died on 12th April 1918.

Edward John ‘Fred’ Didymus made 30 appearances for Town during the 1908-09 season, netting 5 goals. Didymus retired from football three years later, going on to work as a tram driver for Portsmouth Corporation Transport. In 1915, he enlisted in the Army. He was killed by a German sniper in France in April 1918 while trying to rescue a wounded comrade. Didymus is buried in Tilloy British Cemetery near the Franco-Belgian border. 

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Shankhouse, Northumberland, in 1917.

Died on 18th September 1940.

Robert Henry Gordon signed for Town in 1936 and went on to make seven appearances for the club over the next four years. As the Second World War loomed, Gordon volunteered to join the Royal air Force (RAF). He died of war wounds just over a year later and is buried at Cramlington Cemetery in Northumberland. 

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Drybrook, Gloucester, in 1909.

Died on 2nd April 1942.

Francis Cornelius ‘Frank’ Chivers moved from Barnsley to Town in January 1936. He went on to make 50 appearances and score 17 goals for the club. Chivers was exempt from military duty due to his experience as a coalminer, a role that was classed as an important ‘War Service’. He died in an accident at Barnburgh Main Colliery in the spring of 1942.

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in 1923.

Died on 28th April 1943.

Thomas Carter played for Town’s reserve side between 1940 and early 1942. As the Second World War progressed, Carter joined the Royal Navy, serving aboard the destroyer HMS Albrighton. He was killed in action while the ship was deployed off the coast of Brittany in April 1943 and is buried at Edgerton Cemetery in Huddersfield. 

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Scotland, in 1922.

Died on 21st May 1944.

David Patrick Murray Bell was a student at the prestigious Repton School in Derbyshire when the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in 1939. According to Roger Pashby and Alan Hodgson, Bell played one game for Town as a triallist—a 4-0 defeat to Halifax Town on 8th March, 1941. He went on to serve in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was killed in action when his fighter-bomber crashed into the English Channel a few weeks before D-Day. His name is inscribed on the RAF Runnymede Memorial in Surrey.  

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection; Alan Hodgson

Born in Pitenweem, Scotland, in 1914.

Died on 12th June 1944.

Edwin Watson arrived at Town from Partick Thistle in 1938, making three appearances for the club before moving to Bradford Park Avenue. During the Second World War, Watson served in the Royal Air Force and was involved in several anti-submarine warfare missions. His plane is thought to have been shot down over the Bay of Biscay while pursuing a German U-boat. Watson is honoured on the RAF Runnymede Memorial in Surrey.  

Source: Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection; Alan Hodgson 

Born in Newbiggin, Northumberland, in 1892.

Died on 21st November 1944.

Ralph Shields signed for Town in 1914 from Newcastle United. Shields spent six years at the club, scoring 22 goals in 47 games. He retired from the game in 1927 and emigrated to Australia. During the Second World War, he served in the Australian Army in the Pacific Theatre. Shields was captured by Japanese forces in Malaysia following the fall of Singapore. He was executed at the Sandakan POW camp in late 1944 and is buried at Tanah Perkuburan Perang Labuan, a Commonwealth graveyard in Malaysia. 

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019); Roger Pashby. The Huddersfield Town Collection

Born in Renton, Scotland, in 1905.

Died on 15th November 1946.

Alexander ‘Alec’ Skinner Jackson arrived at Leeds Road in 1925 as Herbert Chapman’s last signing. Jackson played an important role in Town’s successful 1925-26 title challenge. He also played in the 1928 and 1930 F.A. Cup finals against Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal, respectively. During the Second World War, Jackson fought with Montgomery’s Eighth Army in North Africa. He died in a road accident in 1946 while on active duty and is buried at the Fayid War Cemetery in northern Egypt.   

Source: Lee Morris. Where Are They Now? (London: Media House Books, 2019)