Clubs from across The Football league are staging bucket collections in aid of a planned new memorial dedicated to the memory of the 17th and 23rd Middlesex Battalions - The Footballer's Battalions.
Created in 1914 and 1915 respectively, The Footballer's Battalions allowed amateur players, officials and football fans to serve alongside their favourite players during the First World War. Billy Gerrish was a Chesterfield Town player in 1912 but his time here was curtailed by a broken leg. He joined the 17th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, the famous "Footballers' Battalion," and was killed in action on The Somme on August 8th, 1916.
Sergeant Major Joe Smith was a powerful centre-half and joined up halfway through the 1914-15 season, along with his pals in Chesterfield's half-back line. He too chose to join the Footballers' Battalion and died at Serre, in France, on November 13th, 1916 - the last action in the Battle of the Somme. He was mentioned in dispatches for bravery that saw him continue the rush into battle despite being shot
Over 1,000 from the units died during the conflict, but despite the bravery of the Battalions - which included stars of the day such as Frank Buckley, Walter Tull and Joe Mercer - there is no memorial in the UK or on the Western Front recognising their sacrifices.
And in order to fund a memorial, Phil Stant, the Football League's Youth Development Officer for the Midlands - a former soldier himself - is spearheading The Football League backed campaign by encouraging clubs to hold collections.
"The men that died in that Battalion have no memorial; there is nothing physical thanking them for the sacrifices they made," said Stant.
"It is important that we raise money for this project and I am delighted that Football League Clubs have decided to participate and I would like to thank them and their supporters for their efforts."
So far, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, Notts County and Peterborough United have held collections during home games.
And with Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Brighton & Hove Albion and Walsall all set to do the same over the coming weeks, fans will prove a vital tool in raising the £10,000 needed for a memorial.
"It is fantastic that the Footballers' Battalions will have a memorial on the Western Front after all these years," said Andrew Riddoch, co-author of 'When the Whistle Blows: The Story of the Footballers' Battalion in the Great War'.
"The game of football owes these men a tremendous debt. The officers and men of the 17th and 23rd Middlesex answered not just the call of their country, but also that of their game in its hour of need, and I am delighted that The Football League is playing such a pivotal role in ensuring that the story of these brave men will be kept alive for future generations."
To see Chesterfield's Roll of Honour click here
"At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them."
