Tragic death of an England footballer

Bertram Saxelbye Evers was the youngest son of the Rev Edwin and Mrs Saxelbye Evers, of Morton Lodge, Eastnor Grove, Leamington.

Leamington historian David Eason has traced the story of the England footballer and his death in the war.

He said:”During writing the 1916 list for the Leamington 1914-1918 Roll of Honour I discovered the full story behind Bertram Evers who was an England international footballer. I was asked to send a copy to the National Football Museum who will be including it in their 1914-1918 centenary commemoration exhibition next year.”

Bertram was born on November 3 1891 in Aldborough, North Yorkshire, and grew up in East Yorkshire before the family moved to Leamington. He was educated at St Bartholomew’s Boys Grammar School, Newbury, and then at Jesus College in Cambridge from October 1910, studying history and theology, gaining his BA in 1913.

While at Jesus College, Bertram also gained his “Blue” in football in the years 1911-13, and was a member of the Amateur Football Association (AFA) as an English international, playing for the Casuals and the Corinthian football teams (the two clubs later merged in 1939).

In 1907 university sides in England founded the AFA to protect the amateur game from the Football Association’s ever-increasing professionalism. This also happened in countries such as France which were not recognised by FIFA. So amateur internationals were played.

Bertram played for the Corinthians three times: twice as a right-half against Oxford University and once as left-half against West Ham before a crowd of 3,000. He also played for England against Wales, Slavia and France.

After war was declared ,Bertram enlisted into the 1st Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, in September 1914. A year later he transferred to the 9th battalion in Gallipoli.

There he was slightly wounded but also promoted to captain. In 1916 his division moved to France . In an assault on the defences at Thiepval on September 14, Bertram led the B Company but it is believed he was killed by shell fire. His commanding officer wrote: “He fell leading his men spledidly.”

Bertram is commemorated on Leamington War Memorial, All Saints and St Mary’s churches and on the Corinthian FC 1914-18 memorial at Crystal Palace FC pavilion.

Bertram’s brother Mervyn, an Army chaplain, was awarded the Military Cross in December 1916 for “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in working continuously for 18 hours in no man’s land caring for and carrying in wounded under heavy fire. He displayed great courage and determination throughout.”