World War I hero Walter Tull, the first British army officer of Afro Caribbean descent, will be commemorated on one of six £5 coins being released this year to mark the centenary of the First World War.
Tull, who was born in Kent in 1888 to a Bajan father and a white English mother, enlisted in the British army at the start of WW1 and was quickly promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. By 1916 Tull had risen to an officer rank despite the fact that people of colour were banned from being commissioned as officers. He served on the Italian front where he twice managed to lead all his men to safety, and was commended several times for his ‘gallantry and coolness under fire’. In March of 1918, when he returned to France, Tull was killed by machine gun fire during a battle on Somme Valley.
Before enlisting in the army in 1914, Tull was one of Britain’s first black professional footballers. He initially played for Tottenham Hotspurs. However, he was subjected to racial abuse while playing on the pitch and as a result was transferred to Northampton Town.
Tull was recommended for a Military Cross during his time serving in the army but was passed over. A campaign urging the government to give him the award posthumously is currently ongoing. A Medal for Leroy, a novel by critically acclaimed children’s writer Michael Morpurgo based on Tull’s life was published in 2012, and was adapted for stage a year later.
The coin, which features a picture of Tull as well as a smaller image of men ‘going over the top,’ is part of the first set of 6 coins to be released over the course of five years. Other coins include depictions of the first troops leaving for France, those working on the Home Front, a celebration of the Royal Navy, the role of propaganda during the war and the impact of war on technological developments.
Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum, said: “The war years exposed the very best and worst of human nature and our intention is for the collection to evolve over the coming years to reflect that duality, while exploring topics as diverse as propaganda and weaponry as well as the great bravery of ordinary people who went on to perform extraordinary acts as represented by figures like Walter Tull.”
