William Webber Walter Gerrish (28 December 1884 – 8 August 1916), sometimes known as Willie Gerrish, was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as an

inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

in the Football League for Aston Villa and Preston North End.

Personal life

Gerrish's brother Howard was also a footballer. In February 1915, six months into the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Gerrish enlisted in the Football Battalion of the

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers R ...

. He was severely wounded in both legs by a shell blast at

Delville Wood The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and ...

on 8 August 1916 and died later that day. Gerrish has no known grave and is commemorated on the

Thiepval Memorial The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. It is near the ...

Career statistics

Honours

Aston Villa * Football League First Division: 1909–10

References

English men's footballers English Football League players Men's association football inside forwards Aston Villa F.C. players Footballers from Bristol British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in the Battle of the Somme Middlesex Regiment soldiers 1884 births 1916 deaths Military personnel from Bristol Freemantle F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Southern Football League players Preston North End F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Midland Football League players {{England-footy-forward-1880s-stub