Charlie_Walker_(footballer,_born_1911)
Charlie Walker (footballer, born 1911)
English footballer
Charles Edward Walker (14 May 1911 – 7 May 1990) was an English footballer who played as a left-back in the Football League for West Ham United.[2][3]
Born in Nottingham, Walker started his career at Arsenal. He spent a period on loan to Arsenal's nursery club Margate,[3] but never played a first-team game for Arsenal themselves, with opportunities limited by the presence of England captain Eddie Hapgood. Walker joined West Ham United in 1936, and went on to make 118 league and cup appearances for the east London club.[4]
After the outbreak of World War II, Walker's three Second Division appearances of 1939–40 were expunged from the records.[2] He played in all but one of the Football League War Cup games of that season, leading to victory at Wembley in June 1940.[4] He also played in 27 matches of the Football League South, which ended with West Ham finishing second in both A and C groups. The following season, he made nine League South appearances, and 1941–42 saw him make two appearances each in the League South and the London War Cup.[5] Walker also played for St Mirren during the war, making nine appearances in the Southern League during the 1942–43 season.[6] He saw service with the Royal Air Force and toured the Far East.[4]
Walker played in 21 games of the first peacetime League South season of 1945–46, which included pre-war First and Second Division clubs. His last game for West Ham was a 3–3 away draw against Wolves that season.[4]
After this, Walker rejoined Margate as player-manager for two seasons (winning the Kent League). He then moved to Ashford Town (Kent), where he performed a similar role for the following three seasons (winning the Kent League in his first season). He later managed Ramsgate in a part-time capacity.[3]
