William Baker (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William James Baker[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1882[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Plymouth, England | ||
| Date of death | (aged 33)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Serre-lès-Puisieux, France | ||
| Position(s) | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Green Waves | |||
| De Beers | |||
| –1909 | Green Waves | ||
| 1909–1915 | Plymouth Argyle | 193 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William James Baker MM (1882 – 22 October 1916) was an English professional footballer who made over 190 appearances as a wing half in the Southern League for Plymouth Argyle between 1909 and 1915.[3] He also played in the United States and South Africa.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Baker was married.[4] He served in the Football Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment during the First World War and rose to the rank of sergeant.[1] He was wounded in action at Vimy Ridge in June 1916 and received the Military Medal.[5] On 22 October 1916, Baker was killed by German artillery fire near Serre-lès-Puisieux during the Battle of the Somme and is commemorated at Sucrerie Military Cemetery at Colincamps.[1][6]
Career statistics[edit]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 1909–10[3] | Southern League First Division | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| 1910–11[3] | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| 1911–12[3] | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| 1912–13[3] | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||
| 1913–14[3] | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| 1914–15[3] | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 193 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 202 | 1 | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837–1915
- ^ a b c d e f g h "William Baker". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
- ^ "William James Baker | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Riddoch, Andrew; Kemp, John; Holmes, Richard (20 November 2008). When the Whistle Blows: The Story of the Footballers' Battalion in the Great War (1st ed.). Sparkford: Haynes Publishing. pp. 105–107. ISBN 9781844256563.
- ^ Riddoch, Kemp & Holmes 2008, p. 155.
  | This biographical article related to association football in England, about a midfielder born in the 1880s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1882 births
- 1916 deaths
- Footballers from Plymouth, Devon
- English men's footballers
- Men's association football wing halves
- Green Waves F.C. players
- Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
- Southern Football League players
- Middlesex Regiment soldiers
- British military personnel killed in the Battle of the Somme
- Recipients of the Military Medal
- English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- English expatriate sportspeople in South Africa
- British Army personnel of World War I
- English expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Expatriate men's soccer players in South Africa
- Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon
- English football midfielder, 1880s birth stubs