Frank Cannon (8 November 1888 – 15 February 1916) was an English

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 at

inside-right 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 ...

. He played for

Hitchin Town Hitchin Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. They are currently members of the . Founded in 1865 and known as 'The Canaries', Hitchin Town have been based at Top Field since their fou ...

Queen's Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

, New Brompton, and Port Vale. He helped QPR to the Southern League title in 1907–08, and scored in the FA Charity Shield defeat in

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

. He later won the

Staffordshire Senior Cup The Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup is a football cup tournament based in the county of Staffordshire in England first competed for in 1877–78. Organised by the Staffordshire Football Association, it is competed for by a mix of clubs from St ...

and

Birmingham Senior Cup The Birmingham Senior Cup is a football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organised by the Birmingham County Football Association. It began in 1876 and is the oldest county cup competition still active. The Birmingham Senior Cup is ...

with Port Vale. He was killed in action during

World War I 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 ...

, at the age of 27.

Career

Cannon began his career with hometown club

at the age of 15, whilst working for a solicitors. Described as "a dashing player and good dribbler with a fine shot", he joined Southern League club

in April 1907. He helped Rangers to win the league title in 1907–08. He scored for QPR at Stamford Bridge in the first ever FA Charity Shield game in

. His goal cancelled out that of Manchester United's

Billy Meredith William Henry Meredith (30 July 1874 – 19 April 1958) was a Welsh professional footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each ...

, and took the game to a replay, which United won 4–0. QPR went on to finish 15th in 1908–09. He moved on to

for the 1909–10 season, but played just four competitive games, all in January 1901, with his only goal coming in a 5–0 win over

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

. Cannon joined New Brompton for the 1910–11 season, before moving on to Port Vale of

The Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...

in July 1911. With 18 goals in the 1911–12 season he became the club's top scorer. He helped the Vale lift the

in 1912 and the

in 1913, but lost form during the 1912–13 season and departed the Athletic Ground in the summer of 1913.

World War I

Cannon signed up to fight in

, and was transferred from the Bedfordshire Regiment to the 13th (Service) Battalion of the

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

, known as the West Ham Pals. He rose to the rank of

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

, but was killed by

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

on 15 February 1916. The report of his death in a local newspaper contained the following note from QM Sergeant L.P Martin: "The 13th Essex had been in the trenches for sixteen days and were just about to be relieved. He was just ready to leave the trench when several shrapnel shells burst over him, wounding him and several others. Although his wound was rather serious – he was wounded in the back – it was quite thought he would get to England and recover, but I am sorry to say he died on his way to the dressing station about an hour after he was hit". Buried at Potijze Burial Ground, he left behind a wife, Violet, and three children.

Career statistics

Honours

Queens Park Rangers * Southern Football League: 1907–08 * FA Charity Shield runner-up:

Port Vale *

: 1912 *

: 1913

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Frank 1888 births 1916 deaths People from Ware, Hertfordshire English footballers Men's association football forwards Hitchin Town F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Southern Football League players Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment soldiers Essex Regiment soldiers British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I Burials at Potijze Burial Ground Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Military personnel from Hertfordshire Footballers from Hertfordshire