As the First World War got underway in 1914, a wave of patriotism swept across the country. Much of the male population signed up at enlistment offices and travelled to take part in the conflict, shipped off to Europe with the army to fight on the battlefields of Belgium and France.
A meeting at Fulham Town Hall in December was aimed at recruiting players for what would be known as the 'Football Battalion', with the unit’s official name being the Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex) Regiment, 17th Battalion. Players from both of today’s clubs were present, as were other personnel associated with the sport such as the chairman of Crystal Palace, Sydney Bourne.
Many footballers who had played for Palace signed up for service in the army, but sadly not all would return home. Eight players that are known to have played for the Glaziers tragically perished during the conflict, including Richard Harker and Joseph Bulcock who would receive medals for their bravery in France and Belgium respectively, and Donald Bell, a teacher who had a contract with Palace but never appeared, and who won the Victoria Cross for his bravery at the Battle of the Somme.
Ultimately the list of players that served during World War I is longer than can be definitively stated, and almost all players either visited a battle-zone at some point during the conflict, or were working at home on government business not always disclosed, such as engineering, munitions, aircraft construction or war planning.
