Wilfred Nevill

Wilfred (Billie) Nevill (14 July 1894 – 1 July 1916) went to school at Dover College, where he distinguished himself as a scholar and a games player. He was Head Boy, played in the 1st XV for Rugby, the 1st XI for Hockey, the 1st Running team and was Captain of the Cricket XI. He went up to Jesus College, Cambridge in 1914, where he played hockey, but his academic career was cut short by the Great War.

Nevill joined the East Yorkshire Regiment but transferred to the East Surrey Regiment and was the originator of the East Surrey’s famous “Football Charge” on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916.

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the 8th Battalion Royal East Surrey Regiment left their trenches at Carnoy to attack German positions 300 yards away.

The commander of “B” Company, Captain W.P. ‘Billie’ Nevill, had purchased four footballs – one for each of his platoons - to kick across 'No Man's Land'.

He and his fellow officers were concerned about how their men would behave when finally called on to go over the top. To provide his soldiers with a reassuringly familiar symbol, Nevill bought the footballs while on leave in London and took them back with him to France.

In the face of murderous fire, and sustaining heavy casualties, they charged across the intervening ground with the footballs bouncing encouragingly before them. The combination of Nevill's initiative and their gallantry proved successful and they gained their objective. Nevill did not survive. He was killed just in front of the German barbed wire. Two of his footballs were later found nearby.

One of the balls is currently displayed at the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Museum at Dover Castle and another at the Queen's Royal Surrey Regimental Museum near Guildford.

Nevill died on the same day, just two weeks short of his 22nd birthday.

"Touchstone" of The Daily Mail penned the following verse in tribute:
 * On through the hail of slaughter,
 * Where gallant comrades fall,
 * Where blood is poured like water,
 * They drive the trickling ball.
 * The fear of death before them,
 * Is but an empty name;
 * True to the land that bore them,
 * The SURREYS played the game.

In April 2011, George Majin, a 13-year-old working on a school history project, visited Nevill's grave at Carnoy. Returning from the cemetery, he visited Le Tommy's cafe at Pozières. Behind the bar he noticed an old leather football on top of a fridge. Cafe owner Dominique Zanardi explained that several years ago he’d found a rubbish tip in a farmer’s field. In this hole in the ground were 10 British backpacks and some ammunition pouches from the First World War which he salvaged.

On one of the backpacks was written “18 Manchesters”. This refers to the 18th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, which was positioned immediately to the right of Nevill’s unit on July 1, 1916 and whose job was to follow up after the initial attack.

And in this backpack Dominique found an old football. On the football was written “Gamages”, the name of a London shop which sold sports equipment.

The ball appears to be identical to the two known surviving balls from the “Football Attack”.