Local History

As part of the BBC’s campaign to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, BBC Four will be screening Forgotten Hero, a documentary about Walter’s life on Thursday.

Former Eastenders star Nick Bailey relates the story of this forgotten hero, investigating war records to establish whether there was a colour bar in the British Army and asking how Tull managed to become an officer despite army regulations requiring only men of 'pure European descent'.

Bailey also tries to discover why Lieutenant Tull was denied a Military Cross for heroism even though his commanding officer recommended him for one.

BBC Four also recently showed a dramatisation of Walter's life in the army called Walter's War.

Written by Kwame Kwei-Armah, the award-winning writer behind Elmina's Kitchen, the fictional drama was inspired by the extraordinary life of Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British Army.

Kwei-Armah spoke about the project and about the remarkable life of Walter Tull.

'To be honest, when I was approached to write this I hadn't really heard about Walter, then via the miracle of Google I began to find out more and more and I couldn't believe it, I thought to myself 'why is this not national news?'

Walter Tull in his football kit

'personal struggle'

Born in 1888 and orphaned by the age of nine, Tull signed with Tottenham Hotspur in 1909, becoming Britain’s first black professional outfield footballer. Shortly after he moved to Northampton Town. During his time at the Cobblers, he played at half-back and scored nine goals in 110 senior appearances.

When war broke out Tull abandoned his football career to join the 17th (1st Football) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment and was quickly promoted to Lance Sergeant. Astonishingly, despite the military strictly forbidding non-whites to hold rank over white soldiers Tull was soon recommended for officer training.

Walter Tull: Forgotten Hero will be screened at 9pm on Thursday 13th November on BBC Four.