Nicholas Bailey says he spent 7 years trying to get this documentary made, and soccer movie enthusiasts should be glad he persisted. Walter Tull: Forgotten Hero covers Tull’s life from childhood to Black British footballer to World War 1 Black British officer and member of the Football Battalion.
The film sets Tull’s struggles and successes in the harsh context of British orphanages and racism. Bailey also visits Tull’s surviving relatives (children of his older brother) and covers Tull’s legacy, which is now promulgated as a role model to children growing up in his old neighborhoods.
In addition to Walter Tull: Forgotten Hero, BBC TV also produced the fictionalized Walter’s War. But this documentary is the film to watch if you want to really learn about Walter Tull.
In addition, you can read:
- John Simkin on Walter Tull’s historical info
- John Simkin on The WW1 Football Battalion
- Stuart Halifax’s blog Great War London on Black British Heroes of WW1
- A BBC article on the British West Indian Regiment sets the context of the Black role in the WW1 British military
8 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 8
Resources:
- Released: 2008-11-03 (BBC TV)
- IMDB
- WIKI
- Director: John MacLaverty
- Stars: Nicholas R. Bailey
- Watch the film
