| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Luke | ||
| Date of birth | (1890-12-17)17 December 1890 | ||
| Place of birth | Acklington, England | ||
| Date of death | January 1992(1992-01-00) (aged 101) | ||
| Position(s) | Outside right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Trimdon Grange | |||
| 1911–1912 | Bedlington United | ||
| 1912–1914 | Preston North End | 8 | (2) |
| 1914–1915 | Hartlepools United | 30 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Luke MM (17 December 1890 – January 1992) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Preston North End as an outside right.
Personal life
On 28 October 1915, over a year after the outbreak of the First World War, Luke enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery and qualified as a class 2 signaller. He was deployed to the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme and participated in the battle's closing action on the Ancre in November 1916. Luke's unit moved to trench lines east of Arras in April 1917 and he was seriously wounded in the leg on 9 April, which led to his discharge from the army in August 1918. In the aftermath of his wounding, Luke was recommended for the Military Medal and the award was gazetted on 18 July 1917. At the time of his death in January 1992, Luke was the oldest-living former professional footballer in Britain.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Preston North End | 1912–13 | Second Division | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Hartlepools United | 1914–15 | North Eastern League | 30 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 10 |
| Career total | 38 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 12 | ||
Honours
Preston North End
References
- ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 179. ISBN 978-1905891610.
- ^ "William Luke". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ "Billy Luke". In The Mad Crowd. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  | This biographical article related to association football in England, about a forward born in the 1890s, is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- English Football League players
- Men's association football outside forwards
- Bedlington United A.F.C. players
- English men's footballers
- 1890 births
- 1992 deaths
- Footballers from Northumberland
- Preston North End F.C. players
- Hartlepool United F.C. players
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Royal Field Artillery soldiers
- English men centenarians
- Recipients of the Military Medal
- 20th-century English sportsmen
- English football forward, 1890s birth stubs