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Daniel Tull, son of a formerly enslaved woman, Anna Tull, immigrated to Folkestone from Barbados in 1876.¹ He married Alice Palmer in 1880. On 28th April 1888, Walter Daniel John Tull was born, the couple’s fifth child.² Walter was the third son of six children.

The majority of Afro-Caribbean people lived in major cities. rather than in coastal towns.³ Moreover, managing a household of seven led to a constrained start in life for the Tull children.

Walter grew up on Allendale Street, just a seven-minute walk from Radnor Park.⁴ He attended the North Board School (now Mundella Primary School), where students are taught about him today.⁵ Unfortunately, Alice Tull died when Walter was six.⁶ Daniel married again. His second wife, Clara Palmer, was Alice’s cousin. On 11th September 1897, Miriam Tull was born. However, just three months later, Daniel died. Unable to cope with all the children, Clara acted upon the advice of a local minister and sent Walter and his older brother Edward into care.

Walter and Edward were sent to a Methodist children’s home in Bethnal Green, London. Before their arrival, the charity in charge of organising their re-housing informed the home:

“The father of these children was a negro, and they are consequently coloured children,” their letter read. “I do not know if you are aware of this or whether it will in any way affect the application?”⁷

The orphanage’s management did not care what colour the boys were.⁸ Having grown up in the Church, the Tull boys were excellent singers. At the end of 1900, Edward was spotted in the orphanage’s touring choir and was adopted by a Scottish family.

After Edward’s adoption, Walter became more reclusive. He found solace in sports, particularly football. Only two Afro-Caribbean players, Arthur Wharton from Ghana and Willie Clarke from Scotland, had played in the English football leagues before Walter.⁹ Given the circumstances, Walter chose to become an apprentice at a local printers’ after he finished school.¹⁰ Just over 100 years later, 52% of England’s Euro 2024 squad were of Afro-Caribbean descent.

At 20, Walter joined the highly successful amateur side Clapton FC.¹¹ His skills shone immediately, and he possessed a superb attacking threat as a striker. In his first and only season for Clapton, they won the FA Amateur Cup (now the FA Vase). Walter had caught the interest of first-division side (now the Premier League) Tottenham Hotspur. Initially signed on amateur forms in March 1909, Walter impressed in trial matches for both the first team and the reserves, earning him a place on the South American tour in June 1909. On his return, Walter signed a professional contract with Spurs, making him the first English born Afro-Caribbean player in the English football leagues. He was paid a £10 signing-on fee, which was the maximum allowable at the time, and wages of £4 per week.¹²

Walter settled in on the pitch with ease; Daniel et al. documents, ‘one newspaper commented that he was in “a class superior to that shown by most of his colleagues.” However, on many occasions, Walter was subject to racist abuse in stadiums across the country, many nicknaming him ‘Darkie Tull.’ Racism in public places was not outlawed until the Race Relations Act 1965 was enacted, meaning legally there was nothing that could be done to stop the abuse. On 2nd October 1909, Tottenham played away to Bristol City. Here the abuse Walter received got the media’s attention. One journalist wrote, ‘Let me tell those Bristol hooligans that Tull is so clean in mind and method as to be a model for all white men who play football.’¹³

Walter only played ten times for Tottenham Hotspur’s first team and eight times for their reserves team. Spurs did not believe that the extra attention accompanied by having an Afro-Caribbean player was worthwhile, so they sold him to Northampton Town for a ‘heavy transfer fee.’ The legendary manager Herbert Chapman converted Walter to a half-back (central midfield). Walter went on to be the club’s star player, competing in 111 matches. In 1999, the road leading to the team’s stadium was renamed Walter Tull Way in honour of his service to the club.

In August 1914, England declared war on Germany. The country called upon men to volunteer to fight in the conflict. Leaving Northampton, Walter travelled down to London and signed up. However, Walter joining the army was not as straightforward as one may think. The Manual of Military Law 1914 states that ‘Troops formed of coloured individuals belonging to savage tribes and barbarous races should not be employed in a war between civilised states.’¹⁴ However, Walter’s status and fitness made it difficult to refuse his service. On 21st December 1914, Walter joined the 1st Football Battalion.¹⁵

After a year of mostly inactivity stationed in the backlines of the French trenches, the 1st Football Battalion was sent to the Battle of Somme. Unbeknown to the troops, the Battle of Somme would be one of the deadliest conflicts in World War 1, with almost 20,000 Allied soldiers killed on the first day. A figure that is 31 times more than the troops that died from Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Thomas Billingham, former Leicester City Goalkeeper, became a close comrade to Walter. Billingham recalls, ‘I wasn’t the cleverest with a rifle, and he was quite sharp.’¹⁶ In 1915, Walter was diagnosed with shell shock and sent back to his hometown, which was one of the key hubs of the military during WW1 due to its coastal location.¹⁷

Walter was recalled to action five months later. It was only a short time until Walter would be tested again in a new regiment, the 23rd Battalion of Middlesex (known as the 2nd Football Battalion).¹⁸ The Manual of Military Law 1914 details that no soldier of non-pure European descent should be promoted to a role of authority. However, in November 1916, Walter was nominated for Officer training. He was transferred to Gailes in Ayrshire for officer training, allowing him time to meet up with his brother Edward in Glasgow. The Tull brothers remained close, particularly during their adulthood, writing to each other regularly. Walter wanted to be closer to Edward after the war. With that in mind, on the 2nd February 1917, he signed with Glasgow Rangers, now simply Rangers, making him the first Afro-Caribbean player to sign for the club.¹⁹ Although Walter would never go on to play for the Scottish superclub, in 2021, they honoured him by inducting him into the National Football Hall of Fame. Walter passed his training, making him the first Afro-Caribbean Officer in the British Army. The next Afro-Caribbean Officer was not appointed for another 23 years.

General Sydney Lawford asked for a volunteer to lead a group of 26 men through the Piave River to perform a night raid on German lines. Walter volunteered and led his men on missions between 30th November 1917 and early March 1918.²⁰ There was not a single casualty. Because of this, Lawford recommended him for a Military Cross. However, Walter never received the honour.

At the Somme, Walter and his comrades were under a constant barrage from the German offensive. Allied troops prepared themselves for a counter-attack across No Man’s Land to draw the Germans out. Billingham and his comrades were ordered to retreat to the trenches. He looked back for Walter, but he could not see him. Billingham made three attempts to retrieve Walter’s body, but ultimately, it was too dangerous. On 25th March 1918, Walter was killed in action. Edward Tull learnt of his brother’s passing a month later. Duncan Finlayson (Edward’s son-in-law) recalls Edward’s reaction to Walter’s passing, ‘Walter is dead. My brother Walter is dead. – That was the worst day of my life.’

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