William Kennedy (21 November 1890 – 13 October 1915) was a

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

centre 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 ...

for West Ham United. Born in Grays to Scottish parents, the fourth of eight children, Kennedy attended

Borough Road College Borough Road is in Southwark, London SE1. It runs east–west between St George's Circus and Borough High Street. History and location The route was created as part of the planning and road improvements associated with the completion of We ...

between 1913 and 1915. He then worked as a schoolteacher and played amateur football with

Grays Athletic Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Parkside in nearby Aveley. History The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former S ...

before moving to

Northfleet United Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent. Around 1890 organised team football was being played in the town and in 1892 the Northfleet F.C. club was founded. It flourished for a few years in the mid-1890s u ...

along with

Charlie Buchan Charles Murray Buchan (22 September 1891 – 25 June 1960) was an English footballer, sporting journalist and commentator. Buchan started his career in 1909 with Woolwich Arsenal (later renamed Arsenal F.C.). He is known for his career with Su ...

in 1909. There, he was part of the team that won the Kent League, the Thames & Medway Combination, and the Kent Senior Cup in 1909–10. He scored over 50 goals in all competitions that season, including the opening goal of the Kent Senior Cup Final, against

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

, leading the ''South Eastern Gazette'' to describe him as "probably the Cementers' best catch of the season". He also guested for Southend United. In 1910, he joined West Ham United of the Southern League Division One. He scored on his debut, against Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 November 1910, and averaged a goal every other game during his two seasons at Upton Park. In January 1912, he switched to inside left, where he played his final three games for the club instead of his usual

role. He was forced to retire from professional football after injuring his knee in an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

third-round match against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

on 8 February 1912. After the outbreak of

World War I 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 ...

, Kennedy enlisted with the

London Scottish Regiment The London Scottish was a reserve infantry regiment then a company of the British Army. In its final incarnation it was A (The London Scottish) Company, the London Regiment until, on 1 April 2022, soldiers in the company transferred to foot ...

because of his parentage, and served as a Lance Corporal. He saw action at Loos as part of an offensive on the Hohenzollern Redoubt and was killed in action in France on 13 October 1915. He and two others were killed by shellfire during a patrol. His brother, John, was also killed during the conflict. Both are commemorated at the

Loos Memorial The Loos Memorial is a World War I memorial forming the sides and rear of Dud Corner Cemetery, located near the commune of Loos-en-Gohelle, in the Pas-de-Calais département of France. The memorial lists 20,610 names of British and Commonwealth s ...

References

External links

William Kennedy
at westhamstats.info {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, William 1890 births 1915 deaths People from Grays, Essex Footballers from Essex English people of Scottish descent English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Grays Athletic F.C. players Ebbsfleet United F.C. players Southend United F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Southern Football League players London Scottish soldiers British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I Military personnel from Essex Kent Football League (1894–1959) players