1915–16 Aston Villa F.C. season

The 1915-16 English football season was Aston Villa's 1st season of wartime football in England. During the First World War, between 1915 and 1919, the Football League and FA Cup were suspended and in their place regional league competitions were set up.

Aston Villa

1915-16 season
Chairman	Frederick Rinder
Manager	George Ramsay
First Division	x
FA Cup	x
Home colours

Appearances in war tournaments did not count in players' official records. Many footballers signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead.

There were four regional leagues. Each league was split into a principal tournament and a subsidiary tournament, except the South-West Combination. The Lancashire and Midland Sections were split into further regional divisions, while the London Combination remained a single league.

Many footballers signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead. Former Villa players killed in WWI included

• Henry Dobson,
• Billy Gerrish,
• Albert Rogers,
• Dr Leigh Roose,
• J Watkins,
• William Bowker, [1]

Harry Hampton served on the Somme during the First World War and suffered from the effects of mustard gas poisoning.[2] He guested for Stoke in 1918–19, scoring three goals in eight appearances.[3] He also guested for Fulham.[4] Hampton was never the same player after the War and after scoring 242 goals in 376 games for Aston Villa, he would move to local team, Birmingham.[2]

Sam Hardy served as an ordinary seaman in the Royal Navy during the First World War.[5]

Future players serving the war effort included:

• Len Capewell served with the Royal Engineers in Belgium during World War I.

Dicky York guested for Chelsea and Boscombe Town during World War I.