Arthur Harold Wileman MM (1 January 1886 – 28 April 1918), sometimes known as Nippy Wileman, was an English professional footballer who played as an inside right in the Football League for Chelsea and Burton United.[5][6]

Arthur Wileman
Personal information
Full name Arthur Harold Wileman[1]
Date of birth 1 January 1886
Place of birth Newhall, England
Date of death 28 April 1918(1918-04-28) (aged 32)[2]
Place of death near Voormezeele, Belgium[3]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[4]
Position(s) Inside right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Newhall Swifts
1904–1906 Gresley Rovers
1906–1909 Burton United 8 (2)
1909–1911 Chelsea 14 (5)
1911–1912 Millwall Athletic
1912–1915 Luton Town 72 (42)
Southend United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Personal life

edit

Wileman's brother Heneage was also a footballer and the brothers played together at Burton United, Chelsea and Southend United.[5][7] On 16 December 1914, four months after Britain's entry into the First World War, Wileman enlisted in the Football Battalion.[8] After transferring to the Royal Sussex Regiment,[1] he was sent to the front in March 1916.[8] Wileman rose to the rank of sergeant and was awarded a Military Medal for bravery in the field in January 1918.[1] On 28 April 1918, Wileman was killed along with two others during a reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of the Elzenwalle Chateau, Voormezeele, West Flanders on 28 April 1918.[3][7] His name is inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing.[2]

Career statistics

edit
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Burton United 1905–06[7] Second Division 8 2 8 2
Chelsea 1909–10[9] First Division 14 4 0 0 14 4
Luton Town 1912–13[10] Southern League Second Division 23 8 2 1 25 9
1913–14[10] 24 27 3 1 27 28
1914–15[10] Southern League Second Division 25 7 4 3 29 10
Total 72 42 9 5 81 47
Career total 94 48 9 5 103 53

Honours

edit

Luton Town

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Arthur Harold Wileman | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b Churchill, Alexandra; Holmes, Andrew (15 July 2015). Over Land and Sea: Chelsea FC in the Great War. The History Press. ISBN 9780750965422.
  4. ^ Luton Town F.C. Handbook 1914–15. 1914. p. 35.
  5. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 311. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  6. ^ "Arthur Harold Wileman - Player Database". Gresley FC Online. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Newman, Steve. "The Original Blue Army" (PDF). pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Sergeant Arthur Harold Wileman MM | Great War Stories". www.worldwar1luton.com. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Arthur Wileman". 11v11.com. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "Arthur Wileman". Hatters Heritage. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Lest We Forget, By Roger Wash". www.lutontown.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
edit