Two footballs were ceremonially delivered to Kingston’s Guildhall to commemorate First World War soldiers who kicked balls at the German frontline during the war’s deadliest battle 100 years ago.
Historians from the Essex WW1 Living History Group dressed in First World War military uniform travelled to the Guildhall with the footballs last Friday – one a replica and the other an Edwardian leather ball – ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme on Friday, July 1. Before the battle, British soldiers of the East Surrey Regiment were told by leading officers to kick footballs at the German lines to distract them from the danger of entering no man’s land.
Almost 500,000 British soldiers died in the three-month battle with more than 1m one million men killed or wounded, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in history. The footballs were presented alongside a poppy wreath to Kingston mayor Roy Arora at the Guildhall last Friday.
The procession started the day before in Guildford at the regimental chapel of the Queens Royal West Surrey’s regimental chapel. Three historians dressed in First World War uniforms travelled from there by train to Dorking and then by vintage bicycle to Bourne Hall museum in Ewell. The following morning the group were joined by 10 more men – also dressed in First World War attire – who marched through Tolworth and Surbiton for a service at All Saints Church.
The original footballs were purchased by officer Billie Nevill, who was concerned about how his fellow soldiers would react when given the order to climb out of the trenches. Having kicked the first ball, he died in no man’s land that day.
One of the balls is currently displayed at the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment Museum at Dover Castle, while the other was lost in a fire last year. The new replica ball will now be used in a football tournament in Guildford on July 1.
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