William James Baker MM (1882 – 22 October 1916) 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 made over 190 appearances as a wing half in the Southern League for

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

between 1909 and 1915. He also played in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Personal life

Baker was married. He served in the

Football Battalion The 17th (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment was an infantry battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, part of the British Army, which was formed as a Pals battalion during the Great War. The core of the battalion was a group of professional footbal ...

of the Middlesex Regiment 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 ...

and rose to the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. He was wounded in action at

Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

in June 1916 and received the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

. On 22 October 1916, Baker was killed by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

fire near Serre-lès-Puisieux during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

and is commemorated at Sucrerie Military Cemetery at

Colincamps Colincamps (; pcd, Colincamp) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Colincamps is situated on the D129 and D4129 crossroads, some northeast of Amiens. Population See also *Communes of the Somm ...

Career statistics

References

1882 births 1916 deaths Footballers from Plymouth, Devon English men's footballers Men's association football wing halves Green Waves F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Southern Football League players Middlesex Regiment soldiers British military personnel killed in the Battle of the Somme Recipients of the Military Medal Date of birth missing English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English expatriate sportspeople in South Africa British Army personnel of World War I English expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in South Africa Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon {{England-footy-midfielder-1880s-stub