For King and Countrymen: First ever video of women’s football match from Essex in 1918 is discovered – revealing dozens of WWI troops cheering female staff at UK munitions factories as they raised cash to help the war-wounded
- The 41-second video was filmed on April 20, 1918 in Southend-On-Sea, Essex
- Shows Dagenham’s Sterling Ladies and Dartford’s Vickers Ladies competing
- The women were working in Britain’s factories during the First World War
- Footage of the match, which finished 2-2, was found by author Patrick Brennan
What is believed to be the earliest footage of a women’s football match in the UK has been found in a Norwegian archive.
The 41-second video, which was filmed on April 20, 1918 – when the First World War was in its final months – was found by author Patrick Brennan.
It shows the amateur players of Dagenham-based Sterling Ladies and Dartford’s Vickers Ladies competing in Chalkwell Park, in Southend-On-Sea, Essex.
The women, who played out a 2-2 draw, are seen dressed in long-sleeved sweatshirts, ties and bobble hats.
Also seen in the footage are dozens of soldiers who had turned out to watch the women play, including one officer who has his arm in a sling after being wounded in fighting against Germany.
Both sides were made up of amateur players who were competing to raise money for three war hospitals in Southend.
Whilst Sterling Ladies were made up of workers in Britain’s munitions industry, the Vickers side worked for the engineering firm of the same name, which manufactured items including guns, artillery, ships and planes during the war.
Women had been drafted onto assembly lines to fulfil production needs after most British men had signed up or been conscripted to fight against Germany.
As a way of keeping fit, they were encouraged to play sport – leading to the foundation of women’s amateur football leagues across the country.
Author Mr Brennan, who wrote 2007 book The Munitionettes: A History of Women’s Football in North East England During the Great War, found the footage in the archives of The National Library of Norway.
He then worked with Swedish firm Spiideo to verify its status as the UK’s oldest known footage of women’s football.
What is believed to be the earliest footage of a women’s football match in the UK has been found in a Norwegian archive
An article in The Sportsman newspaper from Tuesday, April 23, 1918, reported on the match between Sterling and Vickers Ladies.
It read: ‘Played on behalf of the three war hospitals at Southend, the meeting of the undefeated teams, Sterling (Dagenham) and Vickers (Crayford and Dartford), attracting several thousand spectators to Chalkwell Park on Saturday.
‘Both sides played hard to maintain their untarnished season record, and after an exciting game a draw of two goals each enabled them to do so.’
The report also praised the performance of Vickers’ goalkeeper, who is named only as E.Dunn.
It added: ‘The Dagenham team opened the scoring through A. Tennyson.
‘Vickers drew level by means of an opponent putting through her own goal, shortly after which O. Wood gave the Kentish team the lead.
‘Just before the interval Sterling got on terms again, A. Tennyson finding the net.
‘In the second half, despite the determination of the rivals, all efforts to increase their scores were frustrated, the game ending as stated.’
The 41-second video, which was filmed on April 20, 1918 – when the First World War was in its final months – was found by author Patrick Brennan
It shows the amateur players of Dagenham-based Sterling Ladies and Dartford’s Vickers Ladies competing in Chalkwell Park, in Southend-On-Sea, Essex
The video also shows the male referee tossing a coin to decide on who can kick off the match before it gets underway.
Sterling Ladies, in the darker two-tone kit, are seen bunkered in the opposition’s half before one of their players scores.
Women’s football burgeoned in popularity during the First World War, after the Football Association had postponed the professional men’s leagues.
However, in 1921, the women’s professional game was effectively killed off by the FA’s decision to prohibit women from playing in registered stadiums. The ban was not lifted until 1971.
England’s national women’s team did therefore not play their first official match until 1972.
Mr Brennan said: ‘The 19th century witnessed an industrial revolution in Britain which, in turn, led to dramatic social change.
‘The struggle for Universal Suffrage, the right of all citizens to participate in electing the government, was the major political issue in the second half of the century.
Also seen in the footage are dozens of soldiers who had turned out to watch the women play, including one officer who has his arm in a sling after being wounded in fighting against Germany
Sterling Ladies, in the darker two-tone kit, are seen bunkered in the opposition’s half before one of their players scores
‘This objective was fully achieved in 1918 for men, but only partially for women, who had to wait another 10 years to achieve full equality.
‘General public opinion shifted considerably during WW1 when women in their thousands were employed in the manufacture of munitions.
‘These “Munitionettes” as they were called, formed football teams, and staged competitive matches to raise money for war charities.
‘Thanks to the early pioneers, and the Munitionettes, and the determined women who continued for 50 years to defy the FA ban, women’s football has now become a spectacle to enjoy, and has taken its rightful place in the sporting activities of the world.’
The author was aided in his research by Spiideo, which provides video recording systems for professional sports teams.
Lisa Berg, the company’s sales development manager, said: ‘In publicising this footage, we are anchoring the incredible history of women’s football, from its grassroots origins at the end of the nineteenth century to its massive popularity and global appeal today.’
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