1910's | BTFC History

1909-10 | 1910-11 | 1911-12 | 1912-13 | 1913-14 | 1914-15 | 1915-16 | 1916-17 | 1917-18 | 1918-19

It was on 29 January 1912 that club captain James R. Nisbet, of Great Blunts Farm, Buttsbury, died aged just 20 years old. He was suffering from rheumatic fever and pneumonia.

James' funeral was well attended, with several club members paying their respects. One of these appears to have been team mate Alfred Ackers.

The Great War
Private Ernest Basson of the Essex Regiment 3rd Battalion joined up in 1916 and was taken prisoner in July of that year. He was held as a Prisoner until the end of the war.

During July 1917 Sgt. W. McKay was reported missing. He had played for Billericay and South Weald. That September his family received a letter from him stating that he'd been captured and was a prisoner in Germany.

Amongst the few results during this period is a 3-2 home victory against Southminster St Leonard featuring a goal from Alfred William Ackers. Alfred was a Corporal in the Essex Regiment, 2nd Battalion. He was killed in action on 22 April 1918, probably during the German army’s unsuccessful attack on Bethune.

Billericay F.C.

C. Spinks, Harry Welham, A. Adderson, F. Foot, Ernest Bassom, W. Harris, Samuel Leeds, Frederick Eales.

W. Lennie, R. Turnbull, W. Hudson, S. Heard, Arthur Crook.

Thank you to The Cater Museum.

A few days later William Thomas Scott was killed. He was described in The Essex Newsman as a ‘prominent member of the Billericay Football Club.’ The paper reported on 25 May 1918 that his mother, Mrs Maria Scott, who lived in The Forge, High Street, Billericay, had been informed that he was killed on 26 April.

Lance Corporal Scott of the Essex Regiment, 10th Battalion was killed during fighting at Villiers-Brettoneux and was buried in Hangard, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France.

Lieutenant Harry George Welham was born in Billericay in 1891 and joined The Royal Fusiliers during August 1914. He was promoted to Sergeant and then to 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Sussex Regiment 3rd Battalion in 1916.

Harry was awarded a Military Cross for his actions on 7 June 1917 during the Battle of Messines. A report in the London Gazette reported that he showed great leadership supervising the whole line until he nearly passed out through exhaustion before leading men in to shell holes and potentially saving many lives.

Welham returned home on leave during 1918 and married Minnie Booth. He went back to France but was killed in action seven days before Armistice. He was buried at Wargnies-Le-Petit Communal Cemetery in France.