Gerald Kirk

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Gerald Kirk
Personal information
Full name Gerald Kirk[1]
Date of birth (1883-07-14)14 July 1883
Place of birth Bramley, England[2]
Date of death 24 April 1915(1915-04-24) (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

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 life[edit]

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[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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

Honours[edit]

Ingleton

  • Lancaster & District League: 1902–03[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 165. ISBN 9781905891610.
  2. ^ "Gerald Kirk | Soldier Record". Craven's Part in The Great War. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ^ Country Life, Volume 38. 1915. p. 560.
  5. ^ a b c 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.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Gerald Kirk – Bradford City, Leeds City and the First World War". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 10 December 2018.

External links[edit]