John Leslie Cant (20 February 1908 – 19 June 1943) 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 le ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

Personal life

Son of Thomas and Mary Ann Cant, Cant was married with a wife Ella, and served as a

lance corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

in the

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...

(DLI) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, having enlisted after employment at a steel works. While serving with the 16th Battalion, DLI, part of the 46th Infantry Division, he was severely wounded, losing limbs, by an explosion during the final stages of the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

and died of wounds nine weeks later on 19 June 1943. He is buried at Bone War Cemetery,

Annaba Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River ...

Career statistics

References

1908 births 1943 deaths Military personnel from County Durham Footballers from County Durham Men's association football goalkeepers English men's footballers English Football League players Trimdon Grange F.C. players Birtley Town F.C. players Consett A.F.C. players Eden Colliery Welfare F.C. players Leadgate Park F.C. players Shotton Colliery Welfare F.C. players Crook Town A.F.C. players York City F.C. players Chester-le-Street Town F.C. players Bury F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Southport F.C. players Northwich Victoria F.C. players Gateshead United F.C. players British Army personnel killed in World War II Durham Light Infantry soldiers English amputees {{England-footy-goalkeeper-stub