Richard Dunn (23 December 1919 – December 1985) 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 le ...

who played 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 West Ham United and

Hartlepools United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Har ...

as an inside-forward. Born in Easington, Dunn began his career at Ferryhill Athletic before moving to West Ham United in 1937. Dunn had not made a first-team appearance before the outbreak of the Second World War and served with the Essex Regiment and

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

after hostilities commenced. Dunn spent over six years in the Army and made guest appearances for

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

and York City, as well as 35 appearances for West Ham in the League South, where he scored 23 goals. He also made an appearance for

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

in September 1944, when he was called on as a spectator after the Spurs team had arrived with just four players. After the war, Dunn made his competitive debut for West Ham on 9 September 1946, along with goalkeeper George Taylor, in a 3–2 defeat at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

. He made 11 appearances in the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

before moving to Hartlepools United.

References

1919 births 1985 deaths Military personnel from County Durham Footballers from Easington, County Durham English men's footballers Men's association football inside forwards Ferryhill Athletic F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players English Football League players British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery soldiers Hartlepool United F.C. wartime guest players Preston North End F.C. wartime guest players York City F.C. wartime guest players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. wartime guest players Essex Regiment soldiers {{England-footy-forward-1910s-stub