Donald Simpson Bell (VC)

 

Football today is awash with money and platitudes. It has been so for a generation now. The stardom, recognition and ever-growing financial rewards on offer these days make the sport, by and large, a privileged one to be involved in. This hasn't necessarily always been the case though. Footballers of yesteryear often required other employment to supplement their earnings, whilst many from a bygone era made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country in war - certainly during the first half of the last century.

Donald Simpson Bell was a trailblazer in this regard, becoming the first professional footballer to enlist and join the British Army; fighting, and sadly losing his life in the First World War at the young age of just 25.

Born in 1890 to parents Smith and Annie in the West Yorkshire town of Harrogate, Bell would attend local schools before being accepted into the highly regarded Westminster College in London. Settling well into his new surroundings, the youngster showed himself to be a very capable athlete, excelling in numerous different sports.

Football was always thought to be Bell's preferred option though, and during his time at the college he would join the then amateur Southern League side Crystal Palace - though he never actually made a senior appearance for the club.

Bell then moved back north, taking part in some games for Newcastle United's reserve side and nearby Bishop Auckland amongst others as he ultimately settled down into a career as a school teacher in his native town of Harrogate. 

Image - chroniclelive.com. Donald Simpson Bell in his playing days.

To add to his teaching salary, the 21-year-old signed professional terms to play for Football League Second Division side Bradford Park Avenue - thus showing the difference in the game's affluency in times gone by.

Able to play in both defence and midfield, Bell made six appearances for a successful Park Avenue side between 1912 and 1914, and though he was thought to have shown promise of a decent future in the game - these would be the final occasions on which Donald Simpson Bell would take to the field.

A man of integrity, Bell would step up and join hundreds of thousands of others in taking up arms to serve his country as World War I broke out. Joining the West Yorkshire Regiment, he was soon promoted in rank, ultimately becoming Second Lieutenant in the 9th Battalion, known as the Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales' Own Yorkshire Regiment for clarity).

Donald Simpson Bell fought in many battles during his short, but relentless spell in the military. The most notable of which possibly being the Battle of Somme in early July 1916. The devastating five-month-long conflict in northern France tragically claimed lots of soldiers' lives, and Bell himself was shot and killed by gunfire near the small village of Contalmaison on July 10th 1916. One of far too many honourable servicemen who died at a tender age in the name of warfare.

Five days prior to this, the 25-year-old had demonstrated bravery and initiative above the call of duty in saving the lives of many of his colleagues. His actions were so heroic, it saw Bell become the first professional footballer to be awarded the highest military accolade, the Victoria Cross. This was commissioned posthumously just a few weeks after his death, with his medal being presented to his wife Rhoda whom he'd married only a month prior to his passing.

Bell's heroics left an imprint; a lasting legacy still honoured to this day. His remains lay at rest at Somme's Gordon Dump Cemetery in Ovillers-la-Boisselle. Meanwhile, in 2000, a memorial was sanctioned at the spot Bell lost his life in Contalmaison - known as Bell's Redoubt - in acknowledgement of his achievements and sacrifice. 

 

Image - WW1Cemeteries.com. Donald Simpson Bell's resting place at Gordon Dump Cemetery. 

His Victoria Cross medal was showcased at the Green Howards Museum in Yorkshire before being bought at a London auction in 2010 for over £200,000 by the Professional Footballers Association, and can now be found on display at Manchester's National Football Museum.

Donald Simpson Bell was part of a countless number of men who perished courageously; honourably in defending his fellow officers and his country. But he was also a man of firsts in many regards too; and the regular tributes and services held at his memorial in northern France is testament to the regard in which his actions are held.

Featured image - BBC.co.uk/The Green Howards Museum