Joseph Dorville Walter (16 August 1895 – 23 May 1995) was a 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 le ...

who played for

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

, Taunton United and

Bath City Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...

. He was the last surviving player to play under

Herbert Chapman Herbert Chapman (19 January 1878 – 6 January 1934) was an English football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most influential and successful managers in the early 20th ...

while at Huddersfield. Walter's early footballing experience came while serving in the

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

during 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 ...

, when he represented the Third Battalion of the ''Glorious Glosters'', before joining Horfield United in the

Horfield Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monk ...

area of his home city of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. After a year playing in the Bristol and Suburban Association Football League, he joined his first professional team in 1919 when he signed for

. Later in life he worked as a groundsman, firstly for the Bristol Co-Operative Society, before taking responsibility for

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

's Ashton Gate pitch in 1955. He was later appointed as an assistant coach at his former club, Bristol Rovers, in 1960 when he was aged 65. In Huddersfield's final game at

Leeds Road Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...

, against

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

on 30 April 1994, he was the guest of honour. He was also present for Town's visit to Bristol Rovers'

Twerton Park Twerton Park is a football stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. The stadium is named after the surrounding area, Twerton. The stadium has a physical capacity of 8,884, 1,066 of which are seats. It has been the home of Bath City F.C ...

Death

On 23 May 1995, less than three months before what would have been his 100th birthday, Walter died in his sleep. His funeral was attended by the entire Huddersfield Town squad and their then manager

Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...

Honours

Huddersfield Town * First Division: 1923–24

References

;Specific ;General * 1895 births 1995 deaths Footballers from Bristol English footballers Association football midfielders Horfield United F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Taunton Town F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Bath City F.C. players Kingswood A.F.C. players English Football League players British Army personnel of World War I Gloucestershire Regiment soldiers Military personnel from Bristol {{England-footy-midfielder-1890s-stub