Thomas Charles Benfield (1889 – 19 September 1918) 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 in the Football League for

Leicester Fosse Leicester City Football Club is an English professional association football, football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands of England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football league system, Eng ...

and

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

as a forward.

Career

outside 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 ...

and

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 ...

, Benfield played for local Leicester clubs before

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 ...

bought him out of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

for £25 in July 1910. Over the course of the following four seasons he made 111 appearances, scored 23 goals and was notable for scoring the first goal scored at

Arsenal Stadium Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, London, which was the home of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006. It was popularly known as "Highbury" due to its location and was given the affectionate nicknam ...

on 6 September 1913. Benfield moved to local newly relegated Second Division rivals

in June 1914 and had an excellent 1914–15 season, scoring 15 goals (including a brace in a 6–0 away win over Leicester Fosse on 28 December 1914) and helping the Rams to immediate promotion back to the First Division. The suspension of competitive football at the end of the 1914–15 season brought Benfield's professional career to an end, but he remained with the club and played his final wartime match on 16 March 1918. He also guested for

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

and

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...

during the war.

Personal life

Prior to becoming a professional footballer, Benfield served in the

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

between 1905 and 1910. As of 1914, he was living in Leicester with his wife Elsie. After the outbreak of 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 ...

in 1914, Benfield enlisted in the

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

and was serving as a sergeant when he was shot by a sniper in the area of Équancourt and Heudicourt, Somme on 11 September 1918, during the Hundred Days Offensive. He died of his wounds following an operation on 19 September, just under two months before the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

and was buried in Varennes Military Cemetery. As of November 2012, Ben Swift, Benfield's great-grand-nephew, was an employee of Leicester City.

Career statistics

Honours

Derby County *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

: 1914–15

References

1918 deaths Royal Leicestershire Regiment soldiers British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I English men's footballers Leicester City F.C. players Derby County F.C. players 1889 births Footballers from Leicester English Football League players Men's association football inside forwards Men's association football outside forwards Men's association football wing halves Deaths by firearm in France Military personnel from Leicester Burials in Hauts-de-France {{England-footy-forward-1880s-stub Sherwood Foresters soldiers Nottingham Forest F.C. wartime guest players Grimsby Town F.C. wartime guest players