Tull, who played for Northampton Town, Tottenham and Rangers, was also the first-ever black soldier to serve in a regular British Army regiment and became the Army's first-ever black officer to command white troops
Friday 2 October 2020 14:21, UK
A postbox has been painted black in Glasgow to honour Walter Tull, Rangers' first black player.
As part of Black History Month, the Royal Mail have painted four postboxes in different areas of the UK in celebration of significant figures in the black community.
An information plaque on the postbox read: "Tull, the first black infantry officer to serve in a regular British army regiment, also signed on to become the first black player for Rangers before being tragically killed in action in France on March 25, 1918.
"He featured in a set of stamps released in 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War."
Peter De Norville, Royal Mail's head of diversity and inclusion, said: "Black History Month is a great opportunity to celebrate the contributions that black people have made to this country over many generations.
"We are also using it as an opportunity to celebrate the vital work that our black employees do throughout the nation, from the mail bag to the meeting room."
Tull was born in Folkestone, Kent, in 1888 and orphaned at an early age. He was taken in by National Children's Homes and grew up in one of their first homes in Bethnal Green.
Walter was first spotted playing for East London amateur side Clapton FC and would go on to become one of the first black professional football players in the old first division of English football.
He suffered an extensive amount of racist abuse during his playing career.
Tull played as an inside forward for Tottenham from 1909 to 1911, and Northampton Town, from 1911 to 1914, prior to his involvement in the First World War.
In 1914, Tull enlisted in the British Army, later rising to the rank of lance sergeant, and fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
He became the first black British Army officer - at a time when black men were not allowed to reach that rank, according to the army's own regulations - and was the first-ever black officer to command white troops.
Tull signed for Rangers in 1917 while stationed in Scotland as an officer cadet before he returned to France and was killed in action.
