Gerald Kirk
Gerald Kirk (14 July 1883 – 24 April 1915) was an English amateur footballer who played as a centre half in the Football League for Bradford City and Leeds City.[1] He spent the majority of his career in non-League football with Ingleton, whom he captained.[4][5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gerald Kirk[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 14 July 1883 | ||
| Place of birth | Bramley, England[2] | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 1915 (aged 31)[3] | ||
| Place of death | Poperinge, Belgium | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1900–1905 | Ingleton | ||
| 1905–1906 | Bradford City | 40 | (2) |
| 1906–1907 | Leeds City | 7 | (1) |
| 1907–1908 | Bradford City | 3 | (0) |
| Ingleton | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Personal life
Kirk was born into a wealthy land-owning family.[6] He attended Pocklington School and later married.[6] On 1 September 1914, a month after Britain's entry into the First World War, Kirk enlisted as a private in the King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment).[6] In October he was promoted to lance corporal and by 31 January 1915, he had been commissioned as a second lieutenant.[5][6] In March 1915, Kirk's battalion was posted to the Western Front and entered the trenches near Bailleul.[6] On 23 April 1915, he was shot through the chest while leading his platoon in an attack and died the following day at Number 3 Casualty Clearing Station, Poperinghe.[6] Kirk was buried in Poperinghe Old Military Cemetery.[3]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bradford City | 1905–06[6] | Second Division | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| 1906–07[6] | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Total | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 2 | ||
| Leeds City | 1907–08[6] | Second Division | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Bradford City | 1907–08[6] | Second Division | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 43 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 51 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 55 | 3 | ||
References
- Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 165. ISBN 9781905891610.
- "Gerald Kirk | Soldier Record". Craven's Part in The Great War. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- Country Life, Volume 38. 1915. p. 560.
- McCrery, Nigel (18 June 2015). The Final Season: The Footballers Who Fought and Died in the Great War. Penguin Random House. pp. 50–53. ISBN 978-0-09-959466-6.
- "Gerald Kirk – Bradford City, Leeds City and the First World War". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 10 December 2018.