Cyclists welcomed back after WWI ride
against Arsenal.
Rider Derek Highe, 60, of Mirfield, said: “It has been amazing to take part in the ride and the memories we have returned with will stay with us forever. To see the scale of how many graves are out there is awe-inspiring and the sacrifices our soldiers made to ensure our freedom.”
On Wednesday they visited two cemeteries and one memorial, at Thiepval, to remember three players, Edward John Didymus, Leigh Roose and Charles Edward Randall.
On Thursday they rode from Albert to Ypres and call at two sites in memory of players Sidney James and Larrett Roebuck, the first footballer killed in the First World War.
On Friday it was from is Ypres to Zeebrugge with the final memorial stop for Ernest George Kenworthy.
On Saturday they rode home from Hull. Pedal4Pounds cyclists who had ridden through France and Belgium to pay homage to Huddersfield Town players killed during World War One arrive back at Canalside in Huddersfield. The riders were split into teams and this is team red with Derek Highe, 60, of Mirfield (far left)
The cyclists are raising money for the Keep It Up campaign, which generates funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and this season for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Hollybank and the Town Foundation.
If you want to donate, visit www.justgiving. com/keepitupcampaign or text KIUC98 £5 (or any other amount) to 70070.
Here are the details of the Town players who are being remembered 100 years after the end of the First World War:
Edward John Didymus, who played for Town in 1908 and 1909, was killed while serving in France on April 12 1918, the day before his 33rd birthday. After his playing days he had been a tram driver and served with the 8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment.
Leigh Richmond Roose was a Welsh international goalkeeper who played for Town in 1910-11. He was killed, aged 38, during the Battle of The Somme in October 1916. He earned a Military Medal for using his goalkeeping skills to fend off a flame-thrower attack by hurling grenades at the enemy.
Charles Edward Randall served in the Coldstream Guards and was killed on the Somme on September 27 1916.
Sidney James, who served with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, was killed in action in April 1917. He had played in 12 League and two FA Cup ties for Town before the war.
Larrett Roebuck, a miner’s son from South Yorkshire, signed for Town on March 1 1913. On October 18 1914 he became the first player from the English Football to be killed in the war. He was 25.
Ernest George Kenworthy, who joined Town in 1909, was killed in action on November 10, 1917, aged 29, in a shell explosion.