| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Albert Sharpley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | December 1890[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bow, England | ||
| Date of death | 1 July 1916 (aged 25)[3] | ||
| Place of death | Somme, France[4] | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1912 | Leicester Fosse | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Albert Sharpley DCM (December 1890 – 1 July 1916) was an English professional footballer who played as a left back in the Football League for Leicester Fosse.[1]
Personal life
Prior to 1912, Sharpley enlisted in the Essex Regiment of the British Army.[5] After the outbreak of the First World War, his battalion arrived on the Western Front on 21 August 1914 and saw action at Le Cateau, Marne, Messines and Armentières.[5][4] Serving as a sergeant, he was mentioned in dispatches and won the Cross of St. George 2nd Class "for conspicuous gallantry in rescuing and bringing in across the open and under fire, a wounded NCO" in late 1914.[5] In February 1916, Sharpley won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bringing another wounded man in under fire, southeast of Hébuterne.[5] He was killed on the first day of the Somme in an area between Serre-lès-Puisieux and Beaumont-Hamel and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.[3][4] As a result of his death, Sharpley's sister Kate became an anarchist campaigner.[4]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leicester Fosse | 1911–12[2] | Second Division | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
References
- 1 2 Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 261. ISBN 978-1905891610.
- 1 2 "William Sharpley | Leicester City career stats". FoxesTalk. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- 1 2 "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 McCrery, Nigel (18 June 2015). The Final Season: The Footballers Who Fought and Died in the Great War. Penguin Random House. pp. 122–125. ISBN 9780099594666.
- 1 2 3 4 "Leicester Fosse And The First World War: Part Eight". www.lcfc.com. Retrieved 3 October 2016.