"Football's just .. football."

Gareth Ainsworth’s greatest honour didn’t happen on the football fields of England, but the killing fields of the Somme.


As the country commemorates Remembrance Sunday, Ainsworth will spend a quiet moment reflecting on the sacrifice made by footballers and fans who died in the First World War.

Wycombe’s veteran skipper Ainsworth, 37, recently blew a whistle to end a two minute silence during the unveiling of a memorial to the 1500 casualties from the Footballer’s Battalion – formed by professional footballers in 1914.

The Football League’s campaign to erect a permanent memorial was led by former SAS man and professional player Phil Stant and paid for by bucket collections on match days.

Winger Ainsworth explained:

“When war broke out the Government said that if friends from factories, work places or even streets signed up together they’d serve alongside each other in what they called Pals Battalions. They then said to the footballers we’ll make sure that all professional footballers are kept together and so you had players from different clubs fighting alongside each other and fans fighting alongside their heroes in what were called the Footballer’s Battalions. It was a real eye opener learning about all of this and the memorial went up exactly where some of the lads fell and died in Deville Wood in France.”

Ainsworth was humbled by the experience and said:

“It was the greatest honour of my career without a shadow of a doubt. I heard about these lads who fought for their country and died in the trenches. I saw where they fell or were blown up – it was sine tingling stuff. It really put everything into perspective for me and I just want to make sure we don’t ever forget these guys.

That’s real life. Football’s just ... football. It’s a fantastic and great game and it’s been everything to me, but you are taking things to another level when you talk about the ultimate sacrifice.

At this time of year it’s important that we don’t forget and we pass the message on down the generations. I’ll definitely be taking my little boy to visit the the old battlefields when he’s older. He’s only four now, but when he’s old enough to understand, we’ll be going.”

And the former QPR and Lincoln player revealed there was also a family connection with the two world wars. He explained:

“My dad is interested in reading about those periods of history and both my granddads fought in the Second World War. We lost two family members at Gallipoli in the first war and even had someone fighting at the Somme. Fortunately he came home while so many others didn’t.”

Wycombe and their boss Gary Waddock fully supported Ainsworth paid tribute to him and Stant. He said:

“The gaffer gave me time off and told me it was an amazing offer and a great honour while Phil did a brilliant job organizing it all. He fought in the Falklands himself and so has seen the horrors of war at first hand. He saw the Argentinean attack on the Sir Galahad. It’s not just about the First World War at this time of year. We need to remember the people who have fought for us and especially those who are still fighting like the soldiers out in Afghanistan.”

The Footballer’s Battalions were incorporated into the 17th and 23rd Middlesex Regiments and consisted of more than 8,000 officers and men.

Two players received the Victoria Cross for their bravery.

In July 1916 Bradford City defender Donald Bell stuffed his pockets with grenades and successfully stormed a German machine-gun post. Days later he was killed trying to repeat the attack on another position.

Bernard Vann, a school teacher and striker with Derby County, was shot through the heart in October 1918 - only one month before the ceasefire.

Of the original 600 members of the Footballer’s Battalion who had signed up by early 1915, it is estimated that 500 lost their lives either on the battlefield or later through injuries sustained during the fighting.