Walter Davis (footballer)

Walter Otto Davis (29 September 1888 – 20 May 1937) was a Welsh professional footballer who played at centre forward for Millwall for ten years in the 1910s. He also made five appearances for the Welsh national team.

Walter Davis
Personal information
Full name Walter Otto Davis
Date of birth (1888-09-29)29 September 1888
Place of birth Mold, Flintshire, Wales
Date of death 20 May 1937(1937-05-20) (aged 48)
Place of death Bow Creek, London, England
Position(s) Centre forward
Youth career
Army football
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1910–1911 Metrogas
1911–1920 Millwall 113 (65)
National team
1913–1914 Wales 5 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Davis was born in Mold, Flintshire,[1] and was one of six brothers.[2] His second name came from a German soldier who was a friend of his father.[2]

When he was still a child, his family moved to London, where his father, W.J. Davis, became an alderman in West Ham and chairman of the governors of the Municipal Central Secondary School in Tennyson Road[3] before serving as the mayor in 1920–21.[2]

When one of his brothers died whilst playing in a junior football match at Leytonstone, his parents ordered Walter to stop playing football. After he joined the army, he joined the 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment and was stationed in Gibraltar where he played football for the Army. On leaving the army in 1911, he joined Metrogas, but turned professional with Millwall of the Southern League shortly afterwards.[2] In January 1912, he scored Millwall's only goal in their FA Cup First Round match at First Division Bury.[4]

Davis was a deadly finisher, with exceptional speed and ball control and in the 1912–13 season, he emerged as a "goalscoring sensation" and soon attracted "fabulous offers" from Football League clubs.[2] He was the Lions' leading goalscorer in each season he played, and he holds the record as Millwall's leading goalscorer in the Southern League. Davis was a wonderful dribbler with a fine body swerve, but also had a fierce shot from almost any distance.[1]

In 1914, Millwall again came up against First Division opposition in the FA Cup, with Davis scoring the only goal against Chelsea in the First Round replay. He scored again against Bradford City in Round Two, before going out to yet another club from the First Division, Sheffield United.[4] The goal he scored against Bradford was considered by many to be the best ever scored at The Den[2] and was described by the national papers as a "wonder goal"; he received the ball from a throw-in around the half-way line, sidestepped his marker, beat both full-backs and then slipped the ball past the keeper into the net.[1] The following season, Davis again scored against opponents from the Football League First Division, but Bolton Wanderers went through after a second replay.[4]

Davis was called up by Wales, making his debut in a 1–0 victory against Ireland on 18 January 1913.[5] He retained his place for the next four matches, scoring a goal from 30 yards against England at Bristol on 17 March.[6]

He also represented the Southern League several times and won a London Challenge Cup and two Kent Senior Shield medals in his time at Millwall.[1]

Later career and death

During World War I, Davis served in Italy where he incurred injuries to his legs.[1] During the war he occasionally turned out for Millwall, including in a match against Clapton Orient in which he scored a hat-trick wearing army boots.[2]

Davis was forced to retire from football early in 1919 as a result of an injury to his knee and took up employment as a groundsman with Chelmsford, before working as a labourer in the London Docks.[2] He was found drowned in Bow Creek on 20 May 1937 in mysterious circumstances as he was a strong swimmer.[1] The coroner's jury recorded an open verdict.[2]

International appearances

Davis made five appearances for Wales in international matches, as follows:[7]

DateVenueOpponentResult[8]GoalsCompetition
18 January 1913Grosvenor Park, Belfast Ireland1–00British Home Championship
3 March 1913Racecourse Ground, Wrexham Scotland0–00British Home Championship
17 March 1913Ashton Gate, Bristol England3–41British Home Championship
19 January 1914Racecourse Ground, Wrexham Ireland1–20British Home Championship
28 February 1914Celtic Park, Glasgow Scotland0–00British Home Championship
Win Draw Loss

References
  1. "The men who've shaped Millwall". vitalfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  2. Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 47. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
  3. "Public Elementary Education". West Ham 1912 Kellys Trade Directory in Essex. History of Stratford, West Ham, Canning Town, Silvertown etc. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  4. Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of the FA Cup. Sports Books. p. 423. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.
  5. "Ireland 0 Wales 1". Welsh Football Data Archive. 18 January 1913. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  6. "England 4 Wales 3". Welsh Football Data Archive. 17 March 1913. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  7. Samuel, Bill (2009). The Complete Wales FC 1876–2008. Soccer Books. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-86223-176-4.
  8. Wales score first
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