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"I am afraid the newspapers didn't give quite the right story of the footballs [Second Lieutenant C.W. Alcock told Doff on July 27th]. There were two footballs, and on one was printed:- 'The Great European Cup-Tie Final. East Surreys v Bavarians. Kick off at zero.' On the other in large letters was this:- "NO REFEREE", which was W.'s way of telling the men they needn't treat the Hun too gently." Extract from "Billie" - The Nevill Letters by Ruth Elwin Harris.
"Gallant East Surreys. The captain of one of the companies had provided four footballs, one for each platoon, urging them to keep up a dribbling competition all the way over the mile and a quarter of ground they had to traverse. As the company formed on emerging from the trench, the platoon commanders kicked off, and the match against Death commenced. The gallant captain himself fell early in the charge, and men began to drop rapidly under the hail of machine-gun bullets. But still the footballs were booted onwards, with hoarse cries of encouragement or defiance, until they disappeared in the dense smother behind which the Germans were shooting. Then, when the bombs and bayonets had done their work, and the enemy had cleared out, the Surrey men looked for their footballs, and recovered two of them in the captured traverses. These will be sent to the Regimental Depot at Kingston as trophies worth preserving." (click this link to see the full article) Daily Telegraph 12th July 1916 (SHC Ref ESR/1/12/12).
"The Surrey's Play the Game" by R. Caton Woodville,
published in the Illustrated London News, 27th July 1916
(Incorrectly captioned as occurring at Contalmaison)
(SHC Ref ESR/25/NEVI/3)
Click here to read the poem:
'An Incident of the Great War: THE GAME'
"Gallant East Surreys. The captain of one of the companies had provided four footballs, one for each platoon, urging them to keep up a dribbling competition all the way over the mile and a quarter of ground they had to traverse. As the company formed on emerging from the trench, the platoon commanders kicked off, and the match against Death commenced. The gallant captain himself fell early in the charge, and men began to drop rapidly under the hail of machine-gun bullets. But still the footballs were booted onwards, with hoarse cries of encouragement or defiance, until they disappeared in the dense smother behind which the Germans were shooting. Then, when the bombs and bayonets had done their work, and the enemy had cleared out, the Surrey men looked for their footballs, and recovered two of them in the captured traverses. These will be sent to the Regimental Depot at Kingston as trophies worth preserving." (click this link to see the full article) Daily Telegraph 12th July 1916 (SHC Ref ESR/1/12/12).
"The Surrey's Play the Game" by R. Caton Woodville,
published in the Illustrated London News, 27th July 1916
(Incorrectly captioned as occurring at Contalmaison)
(SHC Ref ESR/25/NEVI/3)
Click here to read the poem:
'An Incident of the Great War: THE GAME'
Extract from letter dated 3rd September 1916 from
Captain C. Thorne, Officer Commanding B Company, to the mother of one of the soldiers killed on July 1st:
"....Pollard then went on with the rest who, thank God, successfully captured the trench and finished off all the Germans in it.
This took place in the attack on Montauban. You may have seen a lot in the news-papers about the East Surrey's charge with the footballs. That was the charge. Captain Nevill (who was killed) himself kicked off one of the two footballs which the company dribbled across, and you will be proud to hear it was actually your son who kicked off the other one on that historic day the memory of which will live for ever in the records of the Regiment, and indeed of the British Nation."
(Click here to see the original extract.)
Extract from a letter dated 15th July 1916 from Second Lieutenant C.W. Alcock to 'Billie' Nevill's sister:
Colonel Treeby, the depot Commanding Officer, Captain Wilfred P Nevill's football
displaying the ball to the assembled ranks
(SHC Ref ESR/1/12/12)
Click here to read more about the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment.
Click here to read a summary of the arrangement of the records of the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment held at the Surrey History Centre.
Click here to visit the on-line exhibition of Woking borough WWI memorials.
Click here to see the research guide
(pdf) "Tracing military records at Surrey History Centre".
The story of the East Surrey's famous football charge is featured in a documentary tracing the history of the British Army's football regiments during the First World War, which has been produced for the 'FIFA Futbol Mundial' programme for the Eurosports Channel. The DVD is part of the Local Studies Library collection and is available to watch at Surrey History Centre.
Captain C. Thorne, Officer Commanding B Company, to the mother of one of the soldiers killed on July 1st:
"....Pollard then went on with the rest who, thank God, successfully captured the trench and finished off all the Germans in it.
This took place in the attack on Montauban. You may have seen a lot in the news-papers about the East Surrey's charge with the footballs. That was the charge. Captain Nevill (who was killed) himself kicked off one of the two footballs which the company dribbled across, and you will be proud to hear it was actually your son who kicked off the other one on that historic day the memory of which will live for ever in the records of the Regiment, and indeed of the British Nation."
(Click here to see the original extract.)
Extract from a letter dated 15th July 1916 from Second Lieutenant C.W. Alcock to 'Billie' Nevill's sister:
"Five minutes before 'zero' hour (7.30 am) your brother strolled up in his usual calm way and we shared a last joke before going over. The Company went over the top very well, with Soames and your brother kicking off with the Company footballs." (Click here to see a copy of the original letter.)Extract from a Regimental letter dated 13th June 1966:
"The Company Commander, Capt W P Nevill, whilst on leave in England in May 1916, purchased two footballs and took them back to his company in France." (Click here to see a copy of the original letter.)The Regiment celebrated the return of one of the footballs at a ceremony on 21st July 1916 at Kingston Barracks.
Colonel Treeby, the depot Commanding Officer, Captain Wilfred P Nevill's football
displaying the ball to the assembled ranks
(SHC Ref ESR/1/12/12)
Click here to read more about the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment.
Click here to read a summary of the arrangement of the records of the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment held at the Surrey History Centre.
Click here to visit the on-line exhibition of Woking borough WWI memorials.
Click here to see the research guide
(pdf) "Tracing military records at Surrey History Centre".
The story of the East Surrey's famous football charge is featured in a documentary tracing the history of the British Army's football regiments during the First World War, which has been produced for the 'FIFA Futbol Mundial' programme for the Eurosports Channel. The DVD is part of the Local Studies Library collection and is available to watch at Surrey History Centre.
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