Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2013 - Best Book with Facts Scrapbook in personal jottings, photos and picture of a pioneering black footballer and British officer in the First World War.
Born in Kent, Walter Tull (28 April 1888 - 25 March 1918) became one of Tottenham Hotspurs' top players. When he joined the Footballers' Battalion during the First World War, his leadership and courage won him a commission and a recommendation for the Military Cross. But Walter wasn't just a great footballer and British officer. He happened to be black, at a time when the rule book stated that only white men could become officers. In personal jottings, photos and pictures, this scrapbook brings alive a man who lived outside the limitations of his age - from Walter's childhood in an orphanage through his footballing years at Spurs and Northampton to the Western Front, highlighting the Christmas Day Truce of 1914, Walter's officer training - pipe, moustache and all! - ending with his death on the Somme, his memorials and his legacy .
A fascinating insight into a man who broke across boundaries. In an age when we still find prejudice on and off the playing field, this book conveys an important message - one we must heed. Parents in Touch 'A welcome addition to any child's library. Voice Inspiring. Irish Independent
'Fiction and non-fiction combine successfully in this title creating an insight, through photos, documents and records into a fascinating and perhaps under-known character.' Armadillo
Author
About Michaela Morgan
Michaela Morgan was born in Manchester which she left in order to misspend her youth in more exotic locations.
She now spends six months of the year in Brighton (where sadly she has yet to fulfil her potential as a rollerblader) and six months keeping warm on the Cote d’Azur.
She was educated at the Universities of Warwick (BA Hons English), Leicester (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) and Cambridge (Further Studies in Education).
Michaela has taught a wide age range, from bright-eyed infants to jaded fraudsters. She was a writer in residence in prisons and has run many workshops for children and adults.
A popular speaker at national and international conferences, her work includes a British Council sponsored trip to South Africa to give talks and run workshops with teachers in townships. She has also visited schools in France and Spain.
In the UK she has spoken at: UKRA conference, Primary English conference, the University of Leicester School of Education, University of Nottingham School of Education and the Federation of Children’s Books. She has contributed to many conferences and INSETs.
