William Daffern’s first football club was St Luke’s Choir FC in Derbyshire before he went on to captain Derby Cedars in the Derby and District League, helping them twice to win the ‘B’ division of the League. He joined the Army in March 1904 and served as a corporal with the Depot Battalion of the Royal Engineers. He saw service in Gibraltar and in France and was awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1915 Star. He regularly played football for the Engineers and between 1906 and 1907 helped the Depot Battalion win the Army Cup in successive years. He had the honour of playing left-half for the Royal Engineers in the1908 Amateur Cup final win over Stockton at Bishop Auckland - it was the first time a military team had won the Amateur Cup and made it a unique double at the Engineers had won the FA Cup in 1875. In January 1908 Daffern played for the South against the North in the England international trial match at Chelsea. He won the first of his two England amateur caps in the 6-1 win at Sweden in September 1908. He was then named as one of the non-playing reserves for the Great Britain Olympic team and before the year was out won his second international cap, in the 5-1 win against Ireland in Dublin. Normally a left-half, Daffern could also play at centre-half and on the wing.
Great Britain