Harold Walden

Born in India, where his father was serving with the Cheshire regiment of the British Army, Harry Walden concealed his true age in order to enlist in his father’s former regiment when he was only 14 years old. He went to serve in the country of his birth almost immediately but after two and a half years his regiment returned to Lichfield where Walden first began to take football seriously. When the Cheshires were stationed in Belfast, Corporal Walden played for the Irish Army vs. English Army and back in England he subsequently played for the Army vs. Navy in 1909-10 and 1910-11. He was signed up by Bradford City but never played for their first team and he was later on the books of Halifax Town. At the 1912 Olympics, Walden scored six goals in the match against Hungary and a total of eleven goals in the tournament, establishing a British Olympic scoring record which remains unbeaten. Despite his obvious prowess as a goal scorer, Walden’s international honours were limited to his three matches at the Stockholm Olympics. After his playing and Army careers were over Harry Walden became a Music Hall comedian, proving particularly popular in the north of England and even made an appearance in the film “Cup-Tie Honeymoon”. Walden suffered financial problems later in life and was declared bankrupt in 1951.