Harold Walden

Harold Adrian Walden (10 October 1887 – 2 December 1955) was an English amateur footballer who played for several clubs, Halifax Town, Bradford City and Arsenal. Walden also played for Great Britain's football team, with which he won gold in the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1]

Olympic medal record
Men's football
Representing  Great Britain
1912 Stockholm Team competition

Playing career

A centre forward, he began his career with Cliftonville and Linfield in Ireland, before joining Halifax Town in October 1911 and Bradford City two months later.[2] He spent four seasons with the Bantams and was the League's top scorer in 1911–12.[2] That summer, he was part of the English amateur team that represented Great Britain at the Olympic football tournament, winning the gold medal.[2] He played in all three matches and scored eleven goals.[2] He holds the record of being the 'Highest British goal scorer within the Olympics' and is still the fourth highest goal scorer overall within the Olympics.[3]

Walden entered the army by joining the Cheshire Regiment in April 1902 at the age of 14 and a half as a drummer boy and served in India and Ireland.[2] He played for the Army against the Navy in 1910 and 1911, and also served in World War I, for the West Yorkshire Regiment, rising to the rank of captain.[2] After the war ended he joined Arsenal and played six times for the Gunners, twice against Oldham Athletic scoring a single goal and in four friendlies, with his debut coming on 12 February 1921. With just those games to his name, he returned to Bradford at the end of the 1920–21 season.[4]

Personal life

After retiring from football and the army, he went into the music hall as a variety performer, touring England, Australia, China and India.[2] He made his stage debut while still playing football, in 1919. He had also had a minor film career, which included starring in The Winning Goal, one of the earliest football-related films, in 1920. Walden also played himself in the 1948 film Cup-tie Honeymoon.[4] He made 78rpm records such as "Ronnie the Robin" together with "And only me knows why", on the Imperial label as well as from Ernest Binns' Arcadian Follies, 'Mother I'm a soldier' and 'Only me knows why' upon Parlophone.[2] The latter was reviewed in The Gramophone magazine's November 1939 edition. He died in 1955 of a heart attack at Leeds railway station.[2] He is buried at Killingbeck RC Cemetery, York Road, Leeds, Yorkshire.[2]

Honours
Great Britain
  • Summer Olympics 1912: Gold Medal[3]

Individual
  • Silver Boot: 1912 Summer Olympics[3]

References
  1. "BantamsPast". Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  2. "Harry Walden – Footballer and Music Hall Star". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. "Goal:Medals, Messi & the Magical Magyars: London 2012 the next chapter in Olympic football's rich history". Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. "Arsenal". Retrieved 4 September 2015.
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