![]() I'm not saying it's down to me, but a lot of things have happened that were positive. But along the way, the profile of Walter Tull has started to gather steam. I started a Facebook page to campaign to posthumously award Walter Tull a Military Cross. How did you get started with the campaign? So, the campaign was to redress those historical balances and at the same time, raise the profile of Walter Tull. He was never awarded a Military Cross because according to the manuals, people of colour were not allowed to be an officer or receive that medal. I thought, come on, let's see if we can adjust history. Read more about: Black History The Caribbean, Indian and African RAF pilots of WW2 He was recommended for bravery, but it was never issued to him, which is the tragic part of the story. He was awarded different medals throughout his career. After he was killed, they risked their lives to try to retrieve his body from the battlefield under fire. He led people into battle and his men must have had a lot of respect for him. He's overcoming adversity consistently, as a soldier but also as a leader. There's this sort of resilience that I like about his story. He was promoted as an officer which was not heard of at that time, given his race. He volunteered to go into the army almost straightaway and he fought several battles. Despite facing discrimination throughout his life, he must have been very patriotic. There are two bits to his life there that are very heroic and that's where the inspiration for it came from for me. He pioneered in different areas, not only as an officer fighting for his country but as a footballer. But I think he must have been exceptional. So, for him to get over that would have been one thing. He would have been up against a complete system that was against him and his cultural background. The atmosphere back in those days must have been awful. What did you find so inspirational about Walter Tull? Read more about: Black History 10 black British war heroes from WWI and WWII That was the initial shock I felt, and then it was a case of 'what can I do about it?' There are these huge bits of history that have been excluded. Not just me as a mixed-race person from Britain, but everyone had been lied to. You're not worthy or good enough, you're not part of our history.Īt school, it'd be brilliant for all of us to learn about Walter Tull. At that time, being mixed race there was a feeling of being a negative person. Things were bad at school, and you would get abused in the street. I'm a mixed-race person and I grew up in the 60s and times were tough. I'm quite well-read so it was a shock that I didn't know some of the history. Sky HISTORY: How did you first hear about Walter Tull? Sky HISTORY spoke to Nick about Walter Tull and his campaign to award him a posthumous Military Cross. Remembrance poppy cross professional#Back in 2010, Nick Marr, a digital marketing professional and a former policeman was so inspired by Walter Tull's story he started a website, and a Facebook page to raise awareness about Tull's life. Today, Walter Tull's name is becoming more well-known but it wasn't always that way. Read more about: Sport Walter Tull: The Tottenham Hotspur trailblazer and WW1 hero ![]()
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